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Library of The Theological Semmary 
PRINCETON - NEW JERSEY 
DKS 


FROM THE LIBRARY OF THE 


REVEREND CHARLES ROSENBURY ERDMAN 
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By Rev. J. J. Ross, D.D. 


The Kingdom in Mystery... . . . $2.50 
George Wheaton Taft, D.D. (President, Northern 
Bap. Theological Seminary), says: 

« A devout and earnest student, an aggressive and 
wise leader and a positive and fearless Christian, who 
believes in the authority and integrity of the Bible.” 


Thinking Through the New Testa- 


ment, An Outline Study of Every Book in the 
New Testamentiyi'\.).))/: . BI.75 

A volume for the individual student as well 
as for classes and study groups. His method is 
simple, direct, yet comprehensive. Subjects are 
clearly classified and subdivided with unusual point 
and carefulness. 


Our Glorious Hope. A Study of the Nature, 
Ground and Influence of the Glorious Hope of Our 
Lord’s Second Coming 


Dantel’s Half-Week Now Closing. 


A Study of Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy 
Weeks) oi: 


The true significance, design and time application 
of Gabriel’s Vision, contained in the Ninth Chapter of 
the Book of Daniel using the Bible alone to explain 
itself. 





Breaking the Seals 


A Spiritual and Devotional Study of all the 
Symbols in the Central Chapters 
of the Book of the Revelation 


y By 
“wi 
Te TAROSSe Dep: 
fastor of First Baptist Church, Vancouver, B. C. 


Former Lecturer in New Testament Introduction and 
Analysts in the Northern Baptist Theological 
Seminary, Chicago, Lt, 


Introduction by 
GEO. W. TRUETT, D.D. 


New York CHICAGO 
Fleming H. Revell Company 
LONDON AND EDINBURGH 


Copyright, 1924, by 
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 


Printed in the United States of America 


New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
London: 21 Paternoster Square 
Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street 


To 
efor COOL Le Lesa. 


Worthy Christian Layman, 
True Servant of God, 
My Friend and Brother, 
and one of 
My Former Devoted Deacons 


thes book ts 
affectionately and gratefully 
dedicated 


Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2022 with funding from 
Princeton Theological Seminary Library 


https ://archive.org/details/oreakingsealsspi0Oross 


INTRODUCTION 


and so helpful a volume as Dr. J. J. Ross has 
given us, in Breaking the Seals. 

There is a notion more or less prevalent among 
Bible students that interpretative literature is unin- 
teresting and fanciful and unprofitable; and we are 
bound to confess that this feeling is based upon the 
character of much of the interpretative and eschato- 
logical discussions that are current among us. In this 
work from Dr. Ross, there is not a dull line. He is 
master of an appealing and a commanding English 
style, and there is a beauty and a rhythm in his diction 
that is at once attractive and alluring. 

This fact does not occasion surprise, when we re- 
member that Dr. Ross was an author of note before 
this last book was given to the press. Two of his 
books, especially, viz., Our Glorious Hope, and Think- 
ing Through the New Testament, have had a wide and 
appreciative reading. Now that he has entered upon 
the realm disclosed in the volume before us, no doubt 
can be entertained that his circle of readers will greatly 
increase, and all who shall have the privilege of reading 
this book will find their appreciation of the author 
greatly deepened and enlarged. 

There is extant to-day a vast amount of literature 
covering interpretations of the Book of Revelation. 
This literature is both pre-millennial and post-millen- 
nial. Dr. Ross, in his reverent and sanely discriminat- 
ing interpretation of the wonderful symbols in this 
book, is neither pre-millennial nor post-millennial. He 
wisely directs the thoughts of the reader to the con- 
templation of the glorious fact of the personal return 


7 


T is a privilege to briefly introduce so luminous 


x 


8 INTRODUCTION 


of our Saviour and Lord. His interpretations of the 
central themes of the Book of Revelation are marked 
by a sanity and a reverence to the last degree praise- 
worthy. His expositions will, therefore, be eagerly and 
profitably read by earnest Bible students everywhere. 

No Christian can seriously read this book, whatever 
may be his views on the millennial question, without a 
distinct deepening of his spiritual life. And it be- 
hooves us all, in the perusal of this work and works 
of similar character, to maintain a spirit of intelligent 
and fraternal tolerance toward one another. Perhaps 
no two interpreters of the Book of Revelation have 
ever entirely agreed upon all the details, of even the 
essentials of John’s Apocalyptic vision; but surely we 
can all agree upon the vitalities of Christian service, 
and, so agreeing, can go faithfully forward in the 
matchless work of making Christ’s Gospel regnant 
throughout all the earth. 

The Second Coming of our Saviour and Lord may 
be near at hand, or it may be long delayed. The time 
of His coming again has been hidden from our view. 
The salient teachings of the New Testament, however, 
are so central and so plain that a wayfaring man 
though a fool need not err therein. Our duty to man- 
kind and to God is amply set forth in the Divine rec- 
ord. Whatever one’s interpretations may be of the 
symbols in the Book of Revelation, it is my profound 
conviction that he cannot read this book from Dr. 
Ross, except with a sense of renewed reverence and 
of a deepening veneration for all holy things. I count 
it a privilege, therefore, to bespeak a careful reading 
of this book at the hands of all students of the Bible 
everywhere. 

Dallas, Texas. Geo. W. TRUETT. 


PREFACE 


P “HE Reverend W. T. Graham, D. D., the hon- 
oured Pastor of the Fifth Avenue Church, 
Toronto, Ontario, humanly speaking, is 

largely responsible for this book. Doctor Graham is 

an able and devout expository preacher and teacher 
of the sacred Scriptures as the living Word of God. 

It has been his custom for years to expound in a con- 

tinuous course of addresses, whole books of the Bible, 

with the result that his people are greatly enriched and 
established in the once delivered faith of our Fathers. 

Some years ago when Doctor Graham had just com- 

pleted a series of sermons covering the complete epistle 

to the Romans he asked me to suggest to him another 
book for his next series of addresses. I suggested 
the Revelation, whereupon he said, “I will take it.” 

A few months later I met him and inquired, “ How 

are you getting along with the Revelation?” His 

reply was, “ I got as far as the end of the third chapter, 
but could not break through into the fourth.” I had 
had a similar experience. I, too, “could not break 
through into the fourth.” After learning of Doctor 

Graham’s experience and remembering my own, I de- 

termined, by Divine Grace, to “ break through into the 

fourth,” which ] have done, but with what success, the 
devout student of the Revelation must determine. 

In the study of the portion of the Revelation cov- 
ered by this book, I had to go my way practically 
alone. Commentaries generally touch this part of 
the book very lightly. The great preachers, seemingly, 
have found it difficult “to break through” into this 
part of the book. There are many sermons on the first 
three chapters and the final two chapters, but a very 


2 


AP 
% 


10 PREFACE 


few on the central chapters of the book. Practically 
the only assistance I had in this study was the Old 
Testament Scriptures. No one can understand the 
Book of the Revelation without knowing, both intel- 
lectually and experimentally, the Old Testament. 
There are certain things brought out very clearly 
in this study. We cannot but observe the style of the 
Book of the Revelation. Everything in the book, and 
especially this part of the book, is “ signified” or un- 


+ veiled by signs, figures, or parables. The Book of the 


Revelation is essentially a vision, a pictograph of 
things, events or occurrences, which in themselves are 
meant to be enigmatic. In fact, the symbolic style 
of the Revelation is so clear that it is difficult to un- 
™ derstand how any student of the book should so far 
fail to realize this, to insist upon absolute literality 
anywhere. We must distinguish between the photo- 
graph and the original set forth by the photograph. 
The only way to look upon these wonderful pictures 
is to study them as symbols of great realities which 
we can perceive with proper ritPettsrau Spirituality and 
fullness of blessing. We may wish at times that these 
realities were made somewhat plainer, but God would 
invite us to seek with more energy and devotion, the 
true understanding of these things. The parabolic 
always enshrines the truth, while it puts the veil over 
it, a veil which itself may attract, and should attract 
the hearts of God’s people to learn what is hidden be- 
hind it. The veil is always meant to invite the search, 
not to discourage it. Let us dig deep in our study of 
the Revelation. 

There is another thing that is made plain throughout 
this study. As we think through these wonderful pic- 
tures, representing great realities, we observe the law, 


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PREFACE lo ital 


or principle, oflRecurrenceh operating freely and Pree ‘ 


quently in them. This law is common in all literature. 
The Author and the Writer of the Revelation start 


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from a certain point and pursue a certain line of events _ 


original starting point, and then pursue another line 
of events through perhaps to the same or another point 


iaconilepamreneamens nV LIT OM TAN Ul. Catetdiabeitag 
1 


historical vate set forth in chronological order. 

As we read this book through, and study for our- 
selves the symbols explained we will be impressed with 
the fact that the Revelation is primarily a servant's 
book. In order to a proper understanding of what we 
have here, it is necessary to have the spirit of service 
in our hearts. We are safe in saying that all the 
things made known in this book have to do ite 
service. The Revelation is the most practical book' 
in the Bible. These pictures are not merely megrae| 
to excite the imagination, to inform the intellect or! 
even to illumine the soul with glory. They are spe-/ 
cially and distinctively realities that have to do prac- 
tically with the path of ministry. They are, so to 
speak, the revelation of the way of service that leads 
across the field. Instead of these visions being mere 
dreams there is nothing more pene than what we 
have in them. 

There is a companion volume to athe book entitled, 
“ Pearls From Patmos.” It takes up the study of all 
the symbols in the first three chapters of the Revela- 
tion. It ought to be read and carefully studied prior 
to this one. We give this book to the public praying 
that its study may be of as much blessing to its readers 
as its preparation has been to its author. 

Thi ose 


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Ill. 


VI. 


VII. 


Contents 


DivinE Dominion UNDER Law 
(Chapter 4) 


DivinE DomINION UNDER GRACE 
(Chapter 5) 


BREAKING THE SEALS~ - - 
(Chapter 6: 1-8) 
1. Counterfeit Christianity. 
2. War. 
3. Famine. 
4. Pestilence. 


BREAKING THE SEALS (Continued ) 
(Chapter 6 : 9-17) 
1. Persecution. 
z. Revolution. 
BREAKING THE SEALS (Continued ) 
(Chapter 7: I-17) 
1. Sealing For Safety. 
z. Redemption From Sin. 
BREAKING THE SEALS (Concluded) 
(Chapter 8 : 1-5) 
1. Half-Hour Heavenly Silence. 


2. The Seven Trumpet Messengers. 


3. The Seven Messenger Trumpets. 


4. The High-Priest Messenger the Center of All, 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS - p 
(Chapter 8 : 6-12) 


' 1. Repentance in View of Judgment Upon 


the Earth. 


z. Repentance in View of Judgment Upon the 


Sea. 


13 


15 
26 


36 


50 


69 


84 


98 


14 CONTENTS 


3. Repentance in View of Judgment Upon the 
Waters. 

4. Repentance in View of Judgment in the 
Heavenly Bodies. 


VIII. Sounpinc THE TRUMPETS (Continued ) - Itt 
(Chapter &§ : 13-9: 21) 
1. The Great Eagle Messenger. 
z. Repentance in View of Moral Evil in the 
Earth. 
3. Repentance in View of the Fact that Re- 
straint Now Upon Evil in the Earth 
Will Be Relaxed and Removed. 


IX. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued ) 130 
(Chapter 10 : I-11) 


1. The Mighty Messenger. 
z. The Open Book. 


X. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued ) - 144 
(Chapter 11 : I-14) 
1. The Rod-like Reed. 
z. The Two Witnesses. 


XI. Sounpine THE Trumpets (Concluded ) - 168 
(Chapter 11: 14-19) 

. The Mystery of God. 

. The Resurrection of the Dead. 

. The New Government. 

. The Church Triumphant. 

. The Judgment of the Nations. 

. The Revelation of God in Glory. 

. Judicial Righteousness Established. 


XII. THe Queen MoTHer ~ - - - 184 
(Chapter 12) 
1. Her Identification. 


2. Her Adversary. 
3. Her Historical Experience. 


N QAM PS WH DN = 


I 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 
REVELATION 4 


\ N J HAT we have in the fourth and fifth chap- 
ters of the Revelation constitutes the third 
vision of the book. The words “after 
this” or “ after these things ” do not suggest a change 
of time, but rather a change of vision, or of subject 
treated. The first thing that appeared in this new 
vision was an opened door in heaven, illustrating that 
all hindrances to spiritual sight had been rolled“ 
away. In order to sight of spiritual verities, there 
must be spiritual vision or perception. John was 
here given a glimpse into the Throne Room of glory. 
Not only was the door opened into this invisible sphere, 
but he heard a voice behind him calling him up into 
that sphere, which, for clearness and distinctness of 
message, was like that of a trumpet. He had heard 
this voice before, and recognized it to be the voice of 
the One “ Like unto the Son of man” (1: 10, 12, 18). 
This evidently was the voice of Jesus calling him, and 
us, into a higher realm of spiritual life. It first of 
all gave an invitation, “Come up hither,” and then it 
“issued a promise on the condition that the invitation 
was accepted, and “I will shew thee things which must 
be hereafter,” or in the future. Christ is always call- 
ing His own to higher ground, for on that higher 
ground He is personally pledged to give them larger 
blessing. As soon as John accepted the invitation, he 
was immediately in the Spirit, and translated into the 


15 


16 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 


realm to which he had been summoned. When the 
Risen Lord invites and there is a willing eagerness to 
accept the invitation, He gives the ability forthwith to 
obey the summons. 

When John was transported into the invisible 
heavenly sphere, there was given to him a vision of a 
glorious Throne. He had heard the throne mentioned 
twice before this (1: 4; 38: 21), but it is only now that 
he is privileged to look upon the throne. The word 
“throne” in the English is used no less than thirty- 
three times in this book, and of that number it is men- 
tioned seventeen times in these two chapters. ‘These 
two chapters have to do specifically with The Throne - 
of God and of the Lamb. A throne in ancient times 
was an Official seat, symbolizing authority in the 
particular realm in which the throne was placed. There 
are different kinds of thrones mentioned in the Bible, 
and they always signify dominion, government, rule, 
or authority. There was the throne of the military 
chief which symbolized supreme authority in the realm 
of militarism. There was the throne of the teacher 
which was the symbol of authority in the realm of 
knowledge, or truth. There was the throne of the 
priest which signified authority in the realm of relig- 
ion. There was the throne of the judge which 
symbolized authority in the realm of justice and law, 
and there was the throne of the king which symbolized 
authority in the realm of politics. This throne was a 
composite one including all the others, and being high 
and lifted up above the others. The king had au- 
thority in all realms. The throne we have in this 
vision is not the throne of the military chief, the 
throne of the teacher, nor so much the throne of the 
priest but rather the throne of the king, who is Mili- 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 3 Wg 


tary Chief, Teacher, Judge, Priest, and King, all com- 
bined. God has authority, absolute and unlimited 
authority in all realms in the universe. The throne 
presented to us in this vision is the dominating symbol 


of the matchless glory, the transcendent power, and! 


| 
‘ 


the absolute sovereignty of God and the Lamb. 

In these two chapters, we have the throne—the one 
throne, or royal seat throughout, but that throne has 
two distinct aspects. Not noticing these two distinct 
aspects, a good deal of confusion has resulted. In the 
fourth chapter, it is the throne of God alone; in the 
fifth chapter it is the throne of God and the Lamb. 
In the fourth chapter, Christ is not mentioned. He 
is not seen in this part of the vision. But in the fifth 
chapter, He appears and takes His place as the once 
sacrificial Lamb of God in the very center of the 
throne. In the fourth chapter we have Divine domin- 
ion or government in this earth on the basis of Law, 
which kind of government began with creation by 
Christ, and ended with the completion of redemption 


} 


4 


in the ascension of Christ. In the fifth chapter, we , 


have Divine dominion or government in this earth | 


on the basis of Grace, which began with the ascension 
of Christ and will end with the Second Coming of 
Christ. In the fourth chapter we are taken to the age 
or ages prior to the first advent; in the fifth chapter, 
from the moment the vision was given and received, 
we are taken forward into the age between the advents. 
In the fourth chapter we see God dealing with the race 
in righteousness; in the fifth chapter, we see God deal- 
ing with the race through His matchless mercy in Jesus 
Christ, His Son. In order to have a particular and 
proper understanding of the teaching of these two 
chapters, we must separate them and deal with them 


ae ees pe 


18 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 


in order. Let us notice the Throne of God as pre- 
sented to us in this fourth chapter. Several things 
are brought out very clearly, and there should be no 
mistake in our understanding of them. 

1. In the first place, we notice the location of the 
Throne of God. This is clearly stated for John said, 
“Behold, a throne was set in heaven.” ‘The throne 
was not in the process of being set. It had been set 
for an indefinite period, and its foundations were 
eternally secure. It had endured the storms of 
millenniums already, and was standing firm, immov- 
able, and unimpaired. ‘Then, it was set in heaven. It 
was not on the earth, and neither was it on any other 
planet in the universe. The earth does not provide a 
sufficiently firm foundation for such a throne. The 
“heaven ’’ mentioned is the heaven of the heavens, 
where God has in a special way localized His mani- 
fested Presence, where Christ is, and where the saved 
of all ages who have died, and Holy Angels are. 
Heaven is the ‘Spiritual realm. Heaven is the place 
of absolute purity and abiding peace. Within the 
center of the spiritual realm, where there is truth un- 
sullied, justice unswerving, and righteousness eternal, 
God has been pleased to fix eternally His royal seat 
of dominion. It has been in this realm from the be- 
ginning of time, and His dominion will abide in it 
until the ages of the ages. Nothing, absolutely noth- 
ing, can shake God’s eternal throne. 

2. Further, John is caused to fix his attention upon 
the Occupant of the throne of God as well. He said, 
“And One sat on the throne. And He that sat was 
to look upon like a jasper, and a sardine stone.” Here 
special emphasis is given to the fact that one and only 
one occupied the throne. When we come to the fifth 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 19 


chapter, we will notice that there are twe on the throne, 
the Father and the Son. But in this description of the 
Occupant, symbolically presented, God the Father was 
like a jasper and sardine stone to look upon. ‘The 
jasper stone reflects a very white dazzling light like 
the bright rays of the sun reflected from the soft, 
white, new-fallen snow. ‘The sardine stone reflects a 
dazzling red light, so in this description we have the 
intense white and red light united, the one speaking of 
absolute holiness, and the other of absolute justice. 
_ This corresponds exactly with that definition of the 
character of God that John elsewhere gives. “ God 
is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” What 
light is in the natural world, God is in the spiritual 
world. Light is pure, gentle, universally diffusive; 
God is pure, gentle, and present everywhere. The 
description of God given here is God as the race came 
to know Him prior to the time that He became in- 
carnate in human flesh, and atoned for the sins of the 
race by His own precious blood. 

3. This leads us to a consideration of the surround- 
ings of the Throne of God as John saw them. There 
were three things that surrounded this royal seat as 
presented in the vision, the first being that of a rain- 
bow, “And there was a rainbow round about the 
throne in sight like unto an emerald.” The rainbow 
completely encircled the throne, and being of the dull 
green colour, like the emerald, was easy and pleasing 
to look upon. The rainbow was used as a symbol of 
mercy and of faithfulness. Though this throne was 
based on holiness and expressed itself in justice, yet 
there was mercy exercised also, and the faithfulness of 
God, including all. But around about the throne also, 
there were twenty-four elders. ‘They sat on thrones 


» a 
Rist i 


20 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 


or royal seats like the Occupant on the throne high 
and lifted up. They were clothed in white raiment, 
which spoke of righteousness, and they had on their 
heads crowns of gold, which signified Royalty. They 
were a ruling class of some kind. 

Doubtless this illustration comes from the Old 
Testament, for we remember that the singers in the 
Temple were divided into twenty-four classes and the 
orders of the priests were divided into twenty-four 
classes. It is, therefore, a Jewish picture, and we will 
learn in the next chapter that the twenty-four elders 


\ are made the symbol of the saved on earth in all places 


and of all times. ‘Further, around about the throne 


| also were “ four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 


| And the first beast was like a lion, and the second 
* beast was like a calf, and the third beast had the face 


of a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 
And the four beasts had each of his six wings about 
him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest 
not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
Almighty, which was and is and is to come.” 

There are several things to notice about these beasts 
or living creatures. They are in the midst of the 
throne, unlike the elders, and around about the throne 
in the same manner as the elders. In some respects 
they are nearer to the Occupant of the throne than the 
elders are. They have eyes before and behind telling 
us that they can look-m two different directions. They 
look back into history, and forward into prophecy. 
Their likeness is specified in particular. One is like a 
lion, the symbol of royalty, the second is like an ox, 
the symbol of patient endurance and service, the third 
is like a man, the symbol of intelligence, and the fourth 
is like a flying eagle, the symbol of absolute dominion. 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 21 


Further, each of the living creatures had six wings. 
This doubtless is taken from the vision in the prophecy 
by Isaiah (Chapter 6). According to that vision in 
Isaiah, the wings of each were used for the following 
purposes, “ With twain he covered his face’? which 
symbolized humility, “ with twain he covered his feet,” 
which symbolized reverence and awe, and “ with twain 
he did fly,” which symbolized promptness and swift- 
ness in service. But we are also informed in this 
vision, that the living creatures were “full of eyes 
within,” or around about and within. They had eyes 
so that they could look back, eyes so that they could 
look forward, and they had eyes “within” which 
literally means “on the side of them toward the 
throne.” ‘They kept their eyes on the throne that they 
might acquaint themselves with the will of the throne, 
and be ready to obey that will the moment the com- 
mand was given. ‘Their ascription of praise was, not 
of God’s Grace, not of His love, and not of His power, 
but rather of His absolute holiness, for they are repre- 
sented as saying, “ Holy, holy, holy, Lord God AI- 
mighty, which was and is, and is to come.” 

Now many will be interested to know the signif- 
icance of these living creatures. What do they illus- 
trate? Whom do they represent? I do not think 
that we are left at all in ignorance regarding this 
matter. If you will look in the fifth chapter (8-9) 
you will find that these living creatures are harpists, 
for along with the elders they take their harps, and 
they strike the strings with sweet music. They are 
worshippers also in the Holy Place, for they swing 
their censers, they being full of odours, which are the 
prayers of the saints. Then they sing and their song 
is, along with that of the elders, ‘‘ Thou art worthy to 


22 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 


take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for Thou 
wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, 
out of every kindred and nation and tongue and peo- 
ple; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: 
and we shall reign on the earth.” These four living 
creatures in the midst of and surrounding the throne 
are the redeemed from the earth and glorified in 
heaven. The elders represent the Church militant; the 
four living creatures represent the Charch triumphant. 
This wonderful picture presents the two classes, the 
saved living, and the saved dead as one, praying to- 
gether, worshipping together, singing together, serv- 
ing together, and reigning together. The people of 
God of all ages, dead and living, are one company in 
Christ Jesus. We sing, worship, and pray here, and 
along with us they sing, worship and pray there. 

4, Furthermore, the vision tells us something about 
certain proceedings from the throne of God. The Seer 
beheld and lo, out of the throne itself, not merely out 
of the atmosphere surroundings and throne, proceeded 
lightnings, and thunderings and voices. Four times in 
the Revelation do we read about lightnings and thun- 
derings and voices (4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). Some- 
times an earthquake follows upon the lightnings, thun- 
derings, and voices. These proceedings from the 


ta in the Revelation are the symbols of judgment, 


| or justice in expression toward man, the earth, the sea, 
\and all things that exist. This reminds us that though 
‘the throne of God throughout the ages prior to the 
coming of Christ was one of mercy and grace, and it 
was mingled with justice as well. Not only was there 
the exercise of justice during that period; we have it 
also throughout this period, and hence, the mention in 
the vision of lightnings, thunders, and voices in the 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 23 


visions following the fourth and fifth chapters of our 
book. God is gracious, merciful, and faithful now, 
but He is just as well, because His throne of govern- 
ment is based upon His absolute holiness. It is Divine 
wisdom on the part of men to beware, and seek to 
find mercy now in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. 

5. Not only have we the location of the throne of 
God in this vision, its Occupant, its surroundings, and 
its proceedings, but we have two things mentioned as 
being before, or in advance of the throne. In the first 
place, we are told that before the throne, there were 
- seven lamps of fire burning, and that the seven lamps 
symbolized the seven Spirits of God. It was quite 
common in ancient times to keep lamps of fire burning 
before the royal seat of the king. This was to illus- 
trate that in the administration of the king, there was 
illumination for the people. Moreover, the lamps were 
kept burning before the throne, that the throne itself, 
and its Occupant might be revealed. These seven 
lamps of fire represent the Holy Spirit of God, who 
is mentioned eighteen different times in the Book of 
the Revelation. Four different times in the book he is 
spoken of as “ The seven Spirits of God” (1: 4; 3:1; 
4:2; 5:6). Here the symbolism of number is em- 
ployed to set forth the absolute perfection of the One 
Holy Spirit, the third person in the glorious Trinity. 
He is the One on earth now, who in the Old Testa- 
ment times visited the world frequently to reveal God, 
and now on earth to reveal God and the Lamb. He 
was before the throne then, He is before the throne 
now, though on earth. 

In advance of the throne also, there was a sea 
of glass like unto crystal. This is evidently an 
Old Testament reference. In the tabernacle there 


24: DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 


was a vessel of brass called the laver. It con- 
tained water for the priests to wash their hands 
and feet before offering the sacrifice. ‘That laver stood 
in the court between the altar and the door of the 
tabernacle. It rested on a basis or a foot which, as 
well as the laver itself, was made from the mirrors 
contributed by the women. The exact form of the 
laver is nowhere specified in the Bible, though some 
think it was circular. In Solomon’s temple there were 
ten lavers, and they were raised on bases, five on the 
north, and five on the south. Each one of these lavers 
contained sufficient water for the washing of the ani- 
mals to be presented in the burnt offering. In Solo- 
mon’s temple also there was the Molten Sea. It was 
made of brass, or copper. It is said to have been 
capable of containing two thousand barrels of water. 
This molten sea was not for the purpose of washing 
the animals, but rather for the washing of the priests 
before entering into the service of the Lord. What 
John sees here in his vision was not the laver of the 
tabernacle which was meant to wash the animals, but 
_ rather the molten sea of the temple which was meant 
\ for the cleansing of the priests. This part of the 
picture is a symbol of cleansing from the physical, 
/ moral, spiritual, and social evils. Down through the 
ages, God in His Grace provided this cleansing. It 
was always ready, always necessary, always offered. 
Just as the Holy Spirit reveals the throne, so the Holy 
Spirit through the Word of God, as the water in the 
molten sea, purges away the moral filth from individ- 
ual believing men and women. 

6. It is of great interest to notice how this fourth 
chapter closes. There is an ascription of praise pre- 
sented unto God the Father, the Occupant of the throne 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER LAW 25 


by the four living creatures, representing the saved in 
glory of all times. When the four living creatures 
present their ascription of praise, the twenty-four 
elders, representing the saved of earth of all time, fall 
down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship 
Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns 
before the throne saying, “Thou art worthy O Lord, 
to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast 
created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and 
were created.” There is nothing about Salvation or 
Redemption in this ascription of praise. It is all about 
Creation. ‘The thought of Redemption is reserved for 
the next chapter when we will see the Lamb upon the 
throne. Here the living creatures, and the crowned | 
elders think only of Creation and all of its wonders. | 
They think of the heavens which declare God’s glory, \ 
and the firmament which manifests His handiwork; of ’ 
sun and moon, and stars in their manifold and re- 
splendent glories; of the mountains and the valleys; of 
the rivers and the fountains; of the waving corn fields 
and the swaying trees; of the animals both domestic 
and wild, and they praise God together for His won- 
derful power and wisdom in creating all things Him- 
self, and for Himself. To God, all things owe their 
origin. In Him all things live and move and have 
their being. For this reason, the living creatures and 
the elders cannot refrain from praising. Thus we 
have in the fourth chapter of this book, a wonderful, ; 
a sublime picture of the Dominion of God under Law| 
in and over the earth prior to the Ascension of Christ. | 


Il 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 
REVELATION 5 


P “AHUS we are led to think about Divine Do- 
minion under Grace as presented in the fifth 
chapter of our book. This, as I said, is the 

Throne of Grace, and, when related to time, covers a 

period beginning with the Ascension of Christ and 

closing with the Second Coming of Christ. Approxi- 
mately this period has run on now in human history 
and experience for about two thousand years. 

The Old Dispensation was an age of righteousness 
mingled with mercy: this is an age of grace mingled 
with righteousness. In this chapter there are also sev- 
eral very interesting things to notice. 

1. ‘The first object brought to the attention of the 
Seer was a Book. He said, “I saw in the right hand 
of Him that sat on the throne, a book.” This is also 
an Old Testament reference. Daniel saw a book in one 
of his visions, and he was commanded to seal it up 
until the time of the end (12:4). Ezekiel saw a book 
in one of his visions (2: 9, 10), concerning which he 
said, “‘ And when I looked, behold an hand was sent 
unto me; and lo, a roll of a book was therein, and he 
spread it before me; and it was written within and 
without: and there was written therein, lamentations 
,and mournings and woe.” ‘The book in this vision was 
‘in the hand of the Occupant of the throne, indicating 
that He was the author of it, its possessor, and that 
\its contents were absolutely under His control. It was 
26 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 27 


written both within and without, indicating that noth- 
ing could be added to it, and nothing can be taken 
from it. Moreover, it was sealed with seven seals, 

- signifying that its contents up to the time of the break- 
ing of the seals were secret. John hears a strong angel 
asking who is worthy to open the book and to loose 
the seals thereof. We will observe later that this 
strong angel is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, 
the High Priest, who ministers at the Golden Altar. 
None in heaven, on earth, nor under the earth are 
qualified to open the book, to read it and to carry out 
the items of its program. Man by nature has always — 
been a failure in the history of the race. On account | 
of none being qualified to open the book, John is — 
greatly grieved, and so he said, “I wept much.” In 
this he doubtless was a representative of all the people 
of God at that time, and were the book to this mo- 
ment unsealed, he would represent the people of God 
at this time. 

But what was the significance of this book? The 
Revelation has much to say about books. In one chap- 
ter (20: 12) there are an indefinite number of books 
mentioned. They are the books of personal human 
experience, which will be opened and read in the judg- 
ment to come. There are three individual books men- 
tioned in the Revelation. In the first vision, John 1s 
told to write what he saw and heard in a book, and to 
send it to the seven churches in Asia Minor (1: 11). 
The Book of the Revelation, as we have it, is the book 
that John was commanded to write. In the twenty- 
second chapter, no less than five different times the 


Revelation is spoken of as a “ book”’ or roll (verses _| a 


7,9, 10, 18,19). Further, “ The Book of Life,” and ~ 
; The Lamb’s Book of Life” are frequently mentioned 


smell 


LCI, 


28 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 


in the: Revelation’ (37551808 (010515, (20) dane 
21:27). This is the Divine birth register which con- 
tains the names of all those who have been born again. 
The “sealed” book of our vision is not the Book of 
Revelation, and neither is it the Lamb’s Book of Life; 

it is rather the book of History, past, present and 


' future. In the tenth chapter, we have a “ little book ” 
) which is the Book of Revelation, of prophecy, which 
} John was commanded to communicate to the churches 
'in Asia Minor. The book of this vision contained the 
‘events of history, some of which had already taken 
‘place, some of which were taking place when John 
‘beheld the vision, and some of which were to take 
place in the near and distant future. ‘ 


When we come to the sixth chapter, we will see the 
different seals of this book opened, and the program 
which the book contained carried out in symbol. 
Since the ascension of Christ to glory, the program 
contained in the counsels of God for the race have 
been carried out exactly as planned by those counsels. 
Christ is the only one who is qualified to carry out the 
plan of God for the history of the world and the race. 

2. Not only was John’s attention called to a book 
in this part of the vision, but his mind was fixed upon 
a new Person who appeared and took His place in the 
midst of the throne. When he learned that there was 
no human nor angelic being qualified to carry out_the 
program contained in the book, he wept much, but 
one of the elders, representing the saved of the earth, 
appeared and said unto him, “ Weep not: behold the 
Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath 
prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals 
thereof.” This was good tidings to John, and his 
tears ceased to flow. There was One who had been 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 29 


in battle, and had won the victory. He alone was qual- 
ified on account of the victory, to open the book, and 
to make its contents known. This was David’s greater 
Son, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He had gone 
forth in the conquering might of David, and had won 
against the enemy. Doubtless this is a symbolic refer- 
ence to the atoning death and justifying resurrection 
of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. He had met 
the strong man armed and had vanquished him. John 
saw Christ approach the One who sat upon the throne, 
and take the book at once from his hand. This is a 
figure taken from human government of olden times. 


Before one could govern absolutely a distant province 
of the Roman Empire, it was necessary for him to go\ 
to Rome, and be invested by the Emperor with king-. 
ship. He must present his credentials as being qual-, 
ified to rule in that distant province. When he was. 


invested with the authority to reign upon behalf of 
Imperial Rome, then there was placed within his pos- 
session the program of government which he was 
pledged at all costs to carry out completely. When 
Christ went home on high and took His seat at the 
right hand of God, having prevailed in death and 


resurrection, He was given the authority by the Fa-. 
ther to carry out the program of the ages. This is | 
what He has been doing for two thousand years, and | 
He will carry that program out to its ultimate con- 


clusion to the glory of God the Father. 

There are several things of interest about Christ 
presented to us here in a symbolic way. He is seen 
in the midst of the throne, and of the four living crea- 
tures, and in the midst of the elders. In heaven He is 
in the midst of the redeemed, and on earth He is at 
the very center of the visible church. There in the 


pe ager OS Me 


30 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 


glory, He is as a Lamb that had been slaughtered. 
He bears upon His body the marks even yet that He 
once in eternity and in time made a full atonement 
for the sins of the race. But special attention is given 
to the fact that He is not lying down, but rather stand- 
ing on foot, indicating that though He has been slain, 
He is alive again. In the center of the throne on 
high, He does not appear only as the crucified Christ, 
but as the risen and glorified Christ as well. Further, 
John sees Him also as having seven horns and seven 
eyes which speak of perfection of power and complete- 
ness of knowledge. The seven Spirits of God are sent 
forth into all the earth showing that the intelligence 
of the Christ now is all pervasive and extends to the 
utmost limits of the universe. At the right hand of 
the Father on high, we have an omnipotent, and an 
omniscient Redeemer. What a wonderful Saviour! 
3. Not only have we the seven Sealed-Book in this 
vision, and the Lamb who appears and takes His place 
in the midst of the throne to open the book, because 
He had overcome in the battle, but we have the song 
of the redeemed as well. It says, “ And when He had 
taken the book, the four living creatures and four and 
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb.” Each of 
the living creatures and elders had a golden bowl full 
of incense, and a harp. Both of these symbols are 
taken from the temple, the bowls being symbolic of 


prayer, and the harps being symbolic of praise. ‘There 


/ were none without their harps and golden bowls. This 
_ speaks of the universality of the prayers and praises of 
_ the redeemed, both 1 in heaven and in earth. But they 


sing “anew song.’”’ It is a new song, because it is the 


/song of redemption. The old song was a hymn of 


creation. When they sing together, they ascribe their 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE ol 


praises unto Christ the Redeemer, and not unto God 
the Creator. They address their praises directly to: 
the Lamb of God in the midst of the throne, saying, 
“Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy. 
blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and- 
nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and 
priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” 

By a comparison of the song of praise here, and the 
song of praise that we find in the fourth chapter, it 
will be easily seen that there is a great difference in 
the aspects of the one subject presented. In the living 
creatures representing the saved triumphant who are 
now in the Paradise of God, praying and praising, we 
are given a glimpse into the glory now, to see what the 
redeemed of the Lord do there. Then in the elders 
praying and praising, we are taught what the saved 
militant should be doing, and are doing, to a greater 
or less degree, at the present time. The Church of 
God is one, though a part is in heaven and the other 
part is on earth. No one person even on earth can 
pray and praise God and the Lamb truly without mil- 
lions upon millions of the saved, especially in heaven, 
joining with him. Our loved ones redeemed and 
triumphant, our Christian acquaintances and fellow 
church members who have gone on before join us in 
our prayers and praises here upon the earth. What we 
have in this part of our vision is not a future and ex- 
clusively a heavenly scene, it is a present and earthly 
scene as well. The saved in heaven are not indifferent 
when we on earth pray and praise, for our prayers and 
praises awaken a responsive cord in their hearts and 
they join with us in ascribing worship to the Lamb. 

4. In the vision before us, the circle widens and in 
the next part of the scene a great multitude of the 


32 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 


Heavenly Host appears, and they ascribe their praise 
unto the Lamb in the midst of the throne. John said, 
“And I heard the voice of many angels round about 
the throne, and the beasts and the elders and the num- 
ber of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and 
thousands of thousands.” It is interesting to note that 
the saved triumphant are the nearest to the throne, 
forming the first circle of which the Lamb is the center. 
Surrounding them, and perhaps mixed with them, are 
the saved militant represented in the elders. And then, 
the great multitude of the heavenly host around about 
and without the saved triumphant and the saved mili- 
tant, indicating that none can be nearer the throne 
than those who have been redeemed. Let us cease sing- 
ing then, “I would like to be an angel,’ for we are 
nearer to God than angels possibly could be. 

When the Heavenly Hosts of angels take up their 
ascription of praise unto Christ, they say, “ Worthy is 
the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches 
and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and 
blessing.” They ascribe their praise with a loud voice 
indicating their unanimity, heartiness, and cordiality. 
The redeemed sing their praises of redemption unto 
the Lamb; the angelic hosts recite their praises unto 
the Lamb. Angels do not sing. We have no account 
of their singing in the Bible, the reason being that 
they do not know experimentally the blessedness of 
redemption in their own lives. Only those can truly 
sing who know the bitterness of defeat, and the ex- 
hilarating joys of victory. Only those can sing, who 
have had their sins forgiven, and their transgressions 
covered. The angels say that the Lamb is worthy to 
receive from all created intelligencies and redeemed 
human beings, power, wealth, wisdom, strength, hon- 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 33 


our, praise, and blessing. He made Himself worthy by 
overcoming in the Cross and the Resurrection, by con- 
quering in the Ascension, and His Session “in the 
midst of the throne.” Why is Christ thus worthy? 
He is worthy because He is the original proprietor of 
all such blessings: redeemed man is only the trustee 
of them. He is worthy because it is by His grace to- 
ward us that we have been enabled to procure them. 
They do not come to us merely through heirdom, 
legacy, or as the result of our own effort; they come 
to us from Him. All of our aptitudes for the pur- 
poses of securing these blessings also come from Him. 
Then He is worthy to receive such blessings from us 
because He has given us such qualifications to enjoy 
them and to administer them. Further, He is worthy 
to receive them because He will make the very best 
use of them. When we present in holy devotion the 
blessings here named, unto Christ, that will be a test 
of our character. It will detach us from all material- 
ism, and ennoble our conduct. Let us ascribe in reality 
such praise as the angels recommend unto the Lamb. 

5. In this vision we have not only the song of the 
redeemed and the ascription of praise by the angelic 
hosts, but, looking into the future, we have the Grand 
Anthem of eternity as well. In the song of redemp- 
tion on the part of the universal company of the saved, 
and the ascription presented by the angelic hosts, we 
have events that are. going on at the present on earth, 
and in heaven. But in the grand anthem of eternity) 
with which the vision closes we have a glorious event | 


of the future. John said, “ And every creature which | 
is in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and 
such that are in the sea, and all that are in them heard | 


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34 DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 


be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb forever and ever.” When this was done by 
every created thing the four living creatures chanted, 
Amen. Then the four and twenty elders fell down 
and worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever. 
This is a scene which will take place in the future 
eternity, and will continue from the ages unto the 
ages. This is a wonderful conception before us. We 
learn that the whole universe, from its remotest star 
to the things around our feet is one toward Christ— 
one in feeling, in emotion, in expression; one in heart 
and voice. When this picture becomes a realized fact, 
evil will be no more. It will not be even thought 
about. We will listen and participate only in the uni- 
versal harmony of praise unto Him who sitteth on the 
throne and to the Lamb. We have noticed that the 
song of the redeemed is ¢o the Lamb and of the Lamb; 
we have noticed that the ascription of praise by the 
angelic hosts is concerning the Lamb, and now we see 
that the grand anthem of eternity will be to and of 
Him who sitteth upon the Throne and the Lamb. 
There is one thing that this sublime vision empha- 
sizes and keeps clear to our minds throughout, and it 
is that heaven now and in the ages of ages is a place 
of activity. The inhabitants there do not sit idly by 
purling streams, fanned by balmy breezes. It is true 
that heaven is a place of happiness, and to be truly 
happy, we must be active. Has the far-reaching mind 
of Newton ceased its profound investigations? Has 
Michael Angelo ceased his painting? Has David hung 
up his harp as useless as the dusty arms in Westminster 
Abbey? Has Paul, glowing with godlike enthusiasm, 
ceased itinerating the universe of God? Has Charles 
M, Alexander ceased to lead the great multitudes in 


DIVINE DOMINION UNDER GRACE 35 


songs of praise? Are Peter, and Cyprian and Edwards 
and Payson and Everets and Spurgeon and Moody 
and Gordon idling away eternity in psalm-singing? 
Heaven is a place of restless activity, absolute purity, 
and the abode of never tiring thought. David and 
Isaiah will sweep nobler and loftier strains in eternity, 
and the minds of the saints, unclogged by cumbersome 
clay, will forever feast on the banquet of rich and 
glorious thought. Let us go on then in service here 
preparing for higher service yonder. Let us pray 
here that we may learn how to pray the better there. 
Let us sing here, that we may learn how to sing the 
better there. Let us fall down and worship here, that 
we may learn how to truly worship there. Heaven 
now and in eternity is a place of ceaseless activity. 


Ii 


BREAKING THE SEALS 
REVELATION 6: 1-8 


' N Y E noticed that the fourth and fifth chapters 
of the Revelation have much to say about 

the Throne of God and the Lamb. In the 

fourth chapter, God alone is the Occupant of the 
Throne, where He is symbolically described as holy, 
righteous, and full of mercy. We observed that the 
description of God in that chapter sets Jehovah forth 
as He was in the government of His universe prior 
to the work of Christ on the earth for the salvation 
of mankind. In the fifth chapter, we saw the same 
Throne of God occupied by God the Father, and Jesus 
Christ the Son, together. There Christ is in the midst 
of the throne, being at the right hand of the Majesty 
on High. The right hand, as a place, was always 
significant of the position of power. In the right hand 
of God, there is a scroll or book. In this Book, there 
are seven chapters or seals, and there is no angel or 
human being, dead or living, who is able to open the 
Book, or even to look thereon. When John saw that 
there was no one in heaven, in earth, neither under the 
earth who was able to open the Book, neither to look 
thereon, he wept much, and one of the elders, repre- 
senting the saved militant, said unto him, “ Weep not: 
behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of 
David, hath prevailed to open the Book, and to loose 
the seven seals thereof.” John then turned about in 
his vision, and looked toward the throne, and beheld 

36 


BREAKING THE SEALS 37 


in the midst of it a Lamb as though it had been slain, 
having seven eyes, speaking of unlimited wisdom. 
That Lamb was Christ. He saw the Lamb approach 
the Throne of God, and take the Book out of the right 
hand of Him who occupied the Throne. When this 
was done, he beheld the living creatures, four in num- 
ber, representing the complete number of the saved 
militant, falling down before the Lamb and worship- 
ping Him as their Redeemer and King. 

It is of interest to note the significance of Christ 
taking the Book from the hand of Him who sat upon 
the Throne. This doubtless is taken from a custom 
that was in vogue in the Roman Empire at that time. 
When one was promoted to rulership of a certain dis- 
tant province of the Roman Empire, before he was 
permitted to exercise his authority over that province, 
it was necessary for him to journey to Rome, and to 
be invested with kingship by the emperor. When he 
was invested with kingship by the emperor, the em- 
peror presented to him a scroll or book which con- 
tained the items of the program for the dominion of 
that distant province. He took solemn oath to the 
emperor that he would enforce the laws contained 
within that roll. This is the illustration before us. 
When Christ went home on high at the time of the 
Ascension, He approached God the Father as the 
Sovereign of the universe. He was worthy to do this 
because He had accomplished fully and finally the re- 
demption of the race through His*death and _resurrec- 
tion. At that time, God placed i in His hand, as man, 
the government of the universe. At that time, Christ 
took the Book which contained the program of the 
ages, and has been carrying out that program ever 


sifice, VAN Giiiaes ne 


vi 


a mY 


Pe: 


38 BREAKING THE SEALS 


It will be noticed in the beginning of the sixth chap- 
ter that when Christ the Lamb opened the seals, a voice 
was heard from each one of the living creatures which 
surrounded the Throne of God and the Lamb. When 
the first seal was opened, there was a noise like that 
of thunder. Thunder always speaks in the Revela- 
tion, of judgment, or of calamity. That particular 
thunder was like the roar of a lion, and at the same 
time, it contained a distinct message which said, 
“Come,” or “Go.” This was not an appeal to the 
lion who is represented as speaking, nor to Christ, 
but rather to the rider of the white horse. The words, 
“and see,” are not in the Revised Version. ‘The lion 
who speaks this word is the Christ who is opening the 
seals of the Book. He is calling for, or releasing, the 
first event on the program. Christ alone is the One 
who allows, releases, or introduces all the events into 
human history as they are represented symbolically by 
the visions of the seals in this chapter. We will now 
take these seals one by one, and endeavour to under- 
stand their symbolic significance. 

1. The first seal when opened, released the white 
horse and its rider. When the Lion-Lamb spoke and 
said, “Come,” John said that he saw “and behold 
a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and 
he went forth conquering and to conquer.” ‘There are 
several things to note in this vision. First, there was 
a horse, and a horse is always the symbol of conquest. 
That particular horse was white, which colour sig- 
nified heavenly righteousness. But the horse also had a 
rider, and that rider had a bow. ‘There is no mention 
of anarrow. The bow was not a Roman instrument of 
war; it was a Parthian instrument of war. The rider 
also had given unto him a crown, which was symbolic 


BREAKING THE SEALS 39 


of royal authority. Further, the horse and its rider 
galloped forth, apparently without interruption, con- 
quering, and expecting to conquer. 

This part of the vision has received several different 
explanations. There are some who think that the 
white horse of this first seal is the same as the white 
horse about which we read in chapter nineteen. In 
chapter nineteen where we have the white horse and 
its rider, there is a vision of the Second Coming of 
Christ in Glory. There is no possibility of misunder- 
standing who the rider of the white horse is in the 
nineteenth chapter. The white horse and its rider in 
this seal are very much like the white horse and its 
rider in chapter nineteen. So much alike are they, 
that many have confounded them. ‘The rider here 
had a bow, while the rider in chapter nineteen had a 
sword, which symbolized the authority of life and 
death. What we have in this vision, is an invasion 
of the earth by some foreign power. This rider had 
a crown, while the rider in the nineteenth had many 
crowns. ‘The crown in this vision was not the diadem, 
but rather the laurel wreath, which was only a make- 
believe symbol of authority. The rider of the white 
horse in the first seal is so much like the Rider of the 
white horse in the nineteenth chapter, that he has de- 
ceived many into thinking that he is really the Christ. 
If we look down in the eighth verse of our chapter, we 
will find that the rider of this white horse has a power 
to “kill,” and so, surely, he does not represent Christ, 
though he is very much like Christ. 

The Horse and his rider do not represent the true 
Christ, nor the true Christian system. He is a mimic- 
Christ. He represents some one, or something which 
takes the name of Christ, and professes to be Christ. 


40 BREAKING THE SEALS 


We have in this first seal exactly what Christ Himself 
predicted in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel 
by Matthew (vs. 4, 5), when He said to the dis- 
ciples, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For 
many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ, and 
shall deceive many.”’ Right down through this age, 
there have been many false Christs, false Christians, 
and false systems of Christianity. They are rampant 
in the earth to-day. A false system of Christianity 
invaded this earth immediately when the true system 
of Christianity was first proclaimed to men. These 
Alalse systems of Christianity, taking the name of 
Christ, and having a little of the truth of Christ within 
them, have gone forth, and millions upon millions of 
human souls have been subdued into error, immorality, 
and death by them. This is what we have symbolically 
prefigured in the first seal of the Book of Events set 
forth in our chapter, and this is the first element of the 
tribulation concerning which Christ predicted fre- 
quently in His ministry. 

2. Following upon the breaking of the first seal, 
there was the opening of the second seal. When the 
second seal was opened, the second living creature was 
heard to say, ‘“‘ Come,” and when he said, “ Come,” 
“there went out another horse that was red: and 
power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace 
from the earth, and that they should kill one another; 
and there was given unto him a great sword.” 

The second living creature mentioned was the ox. 
The ox was always the symbol of patient, enduring 
service. I take the ox individually in this symbol to 
represent Christ Himself, calling for, introducing, re- 
leasing another event in history. In the Gospel by 
Matthew, we have Christ as the Lion of the tribe of 


BREAKING THE SEALS 41 


Judah, the King. In the Gospel by Mark, we have 
Christ as the patient, suffering ox, the Servant of 
Jehovah. It is the Christ in this second seal speaking 
and saying, ‘Come.’ The first horse was white, sym- 
bolizing a mimic, or counterfeit heavenly righteous- 
ness; the second horse in our passage was red, sym- 
bolizing bloodshed and war. ‘The rider of the red 
horse was given two things, authority to take peace 
from the earth, and a sword, indicating the power of 
future life and death. Bible students generally agree 
that in this second seal, war is symbolized. There is 
some dispute, however, over whether the war repre- 
sented is civil or international. It is known from his- 
tory, and that conclusively, that for two thousand years 
there have been wars of different kinds. Nations have 
been at war within themselves, and nations have been 
at war with one another. There have been wars in 
the world of commerce, in the world of industry, and 
also in the world of the social order. Even at this 
very moment, there are many wars raging in the world, 
and there are announcements and premonitions of 
greater future wars. Since the great World War 
closed, many think that the age of peace is upon us; 
but this red horse and its rider have not yet been cap- 
tured. The rider of that red horse is still armed with 
authority and with the great sword. Again we would 
say that we have represented here exactly what Christ 
predicted for this age in the twenty-fourth chapter of 
the Gospel by Matthew (vs. 6, 7, 8). He said to 
the disciples, “ And ye shall hear of wars and rumours 
of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these 
things must come to pass. . . . For nation shall 
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” 
Christ predicted in His preview of this age that wars 


42 BREAKING THE SEALS 


would continue between the dates of His Ascension 
and His Coming again in glory. It has come to pass, 
and is coming to pass precisely as He said, and it will 
continue until the consummation of this age. 

3. This leads us to the opening of the third seal. 
“And when He had opened the third seal, I heard 
the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld and 
lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair 
of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the 
midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat 
for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; 
and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” The third 
living creature was the man. In the Gospel by 
Matthew, the Saviour is presented as a lion; in the 
Gospel by Mark as an ox; and in the Gospel by Luke 
as the Man. It is in Luke that we read ‘‘ The Son of 
Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.” 
The Man in this vision who said, “ Come,” is the 
Man Christ Jesus. The horse in this case was black, 
which symbolic colour always signifies sorrow, gloom, 
famine and death. The rider of the black horse had a 
pair of balances in his hand, and went forth making 
the announcement, “ A measure of wheat for a penny, 
and three measures of barley for a penny.” <A meas- 
_ ure of wheat was a little less than one quart, and a 
| penny had the value of twenty-five cents in our money. 
| The rider is represented as carefully weighing the 
foodstuffs for the people; evidently he is in the food 
conservation business. The careful weighing of foods 
symbolized scarcity of bread for the people, and this 
proclaims the true character and significance of the 
black horse and its rider. This part of the vision de- 
clares that, whatever he may feign himself to be, the 
rider of this horse is an agent of evil. Following upon 


BREAKING THE SEALS 43 


every war in history, and in fact, accompanying every 
war, there has been a great scarcity of food, and this 
is precisely what we have prefigured in the third seal. 
When our Lord previewed the present dispensation 
(Matt. 24: 7), He said, “ And there shall be famines,” 
and His words have come true as literally and as ex- 
tensively as He spoke them. 

It is only necessary for us to take a glance back, 
and out into history to see that this prophecy has been 
literally fulfilled. Periods of extreme suffering on 
account of scarcity of food have occurred in all parts 
of the world, and from remote ages. Extended lists 
have been made of the most distressing famines, with 
more or less particularity of detail, and scientists have 
presented thoughtful speculations upon their cause. 
Among the avoidable causes are enumerated war, de- 
fective agriculture, deficient transportation, legislative 
interference, speculation in food products and misap- 
plication of grain; and among natural causes are ex- 
cessive rains, frost, drought, earthquakes, hurricanes, 
hailstorms, and plagues of vermin. A few years after 
the opening of the Christian Era we read of a great 
famine in Judea which was most impoverishing (Acts 
11:28). In the year 42 a. p. Egypt experienced a 
famine when many thousands of the population per- 
ished. So great was the famine and the plague that 
followed it in Rome, in the autumn of 66, that thirty 
thousand perished in less than three months. During 
the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, in 69 and 
70 A. D., so terrible was the famine that parents were 
reduced to killing and eating their own children. In 
272, Great Britain was visited by such a famine that 
people were forced to eat the bark of trees. In 306, 
both famine and plague spread over Scotland, carry- 


ad BREAKING THE SEALS 


ing off thousands, and four years later England lost 
forty thousand people from the same causes, and in 
325, all of Great Britain suffered from famine. 
Phrygia experienced its terrors in 370, Constantinople 
in 446, and Italy in 450, where parents were driven to 
the awful extremity of eating their children. Since the 
year 1000, India has suffered the most from famine of 
any country in the world. In less than 100 years, no 
fewer than thirty millions have perished in that coun- 
try from famine and plague. In 1877, about five hun- 
dred thousand died in Bombay and Madras, and, as 
a result, the government determined to lay aside seven 
million five hundred thousand dollars annually for 
provision for future famines, the same to be known 
as The Famine Insurance Fund and to be used in 
construction of protective works, such as railroads and 
canals. How many human beings have perished in 
the famines, of which some records have been kept, 
since the first advent of Christ, cannot be computed, 
but it is certain that the number has already extended 
into hundreds of millions. As a result of the terrible 
World War which closed in 1918, upwards of eight 
millions of people died of starvation. When the allied 
forces entered some of the cities of Palestine, as that 
war was closing, they found the conditions too horrible 
to describe. Literally thousands of dead bodies were 
found bloated, and decomposing in the streets of 
Beyrout and Damascus alone. Children and dogs were 
fighting over the bones of dead animals which also 
had starved to death. According to the official report 
of Mr. Hoover of this country, there are at this mo- 
ment forty million in North and White Russia that 
are on the verge of starvation, and he claims that not- 
withstanding all this and other nations can do, nothing 


Oe 


BREAKING THE SEALS 45 


can save ten millions of them. Following upon every 
war, there has been famine, or a great scarcity of 
foodstuffs for the people living, and this is a fulfillment 
of what Christ said, “ There shall be famines” and 
what is symbolically predicted in the third seal of our 
vision. 

We must not leave this seal without noticing the 
words “and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” 
The oil and the wine were not necessities, but luxuries 
of life. It was the wine that gladdened the heart of 
man, and the oil that made his face to shine. But 
when oil and wine were used as food, they were al- 
ways the food of the rich. The poor did not have oil 
and wine as the rich did. Our vision said that these 
two kinds of food were not to be “hurt.” This tells 
us of plenty and joy in the midst of scarcity and 
famine. This has been a fact throughout history, for 
in the midst of famine and war, there has been plenty 
of food for certain classes in certain parts of the world. 
The poor are often made the illustration of those who 
are not vitally related to Christ as their Saviour and 
Lord. With them, there is a scarcity of spiritual food, 
and hence, famine. The rich are made the illustration 
of those who are vitally connected with Christ, being 
made rich with the riches that are riches indeed. These 
are the ones who are not to suffer famine for the 
reason that they are in touch with the one and only 
source of the Bread of Life. In the midst of the 
tribulation caused by famine, whether it be literal or 
spiritual, God has been pleased in His Providence to 
save and to protect those who are His own, and hence 
the prohibition to the rider of the black horse, “ And 
see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” 

4. When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, we read, 


46 BREAKING THE SEALS 


“And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard 
the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And 
I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that 
sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” 
The fourth living creature who said, “ Come,” was the 
eagle and he is made the symbol of Christ as pre- 
sented in the Gospel by John. It is the Christ as the 
Son of God who appeared in the introduction of the 
event set forth in this seal. When the eagle said 
“Come,”’ the pale horse and his rider, Death, galloped 
forth conquering and to conquer. Death and Hades 
are seen in this seal riding together, both being per- 
sonified as kings in conquest. They have always been 
together, and are both kings of terror to the human 
race. Though the pale horse has the colour which in- 
dicates weakness, he is a strong, warlike and speedy 
animal. In that pale horse and his rider, we have 
pestilence, plague, and disease symbolized, and again 
this is exactly what our Lord predicted in Matthew 
24: 7, 8, when He said, “And there shall be . . . 
pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these 
are the beginning of sorrows.” As war results gen- 
erally from a false Christian teaching, and as famine 
results from war, so pestilences, plagues, and diseases 
of many kinds result from famine. When vitality in 
the human race is low, diseases of various kinds hold 
sway among the peoples thus affected. No sooner did 
the great World War close than the “ Spanish Flu ” 
came into power, and in its first trip around the globe, 
it carried off more people than were killed in the war 
itself. Thus we see in the first seal we have counter- 
feit Christianity ; in the second, militarism; in the third, 
famine; and in the fourth, pestilence. 

Now before going into and making a study of the 


BREAKING THE SEALS 47 


fifth and sixth seals contained in this Book of Events, 
let us notice certain very definite things by way of 
recapitulation. There is first the order of the calami- 
ties symbolized, error in religion, war, famine, and 
disease. These have always gone together throughout 
this dispensation. This earth has been invaded by a 
false system, or false systems of religion which bear 
the name of Christ. When the true Light came, then 
appeared the false light also. When a righteousness 
on the basis of blood was promulgated, then a false 
righteousness apart from blood was announced. Then 
growing out of the false systems of religion, and as 
a consequence of them, war has ensued on different 
parts of the globe. Every war in the history of the 
race can be traced to a false religious system as its 
origin. This was manifestly true in the great World 
War, for Germany was dominated by a counterfeit 
Christian system. She had long ago thrown aside the 
Bible as the standard of authority, and with that went 
the Deity of our Lord, and Redemption as wrought in 
Him by the Father. Evolving from the rejection of 
the Scriptures as authority there sprang up that false 
philosophy that “Might is Right.” This had been 
drilled into the people of Germany for fifty or sixty 
years, and the war that baptized the world in blood 
was inevitable therefore. It was not Christianity that 
failed in that war; it was the false system of Chris- 
tianity, by which Germany was dominated, that col- 
lapsed. 

Not only does war follow upon a false religious 
system, but we notice, as illustrated here, and confirmed 
in history, that famine or scarcity of food inevitably 
follows upon war. It is not necessary to say anything 
further about this, for it is manifest to the eyes of all 


48 BREAKING THE SEALS 


who wish to see. The order of the events set forth 
in this symbolism is the order in which they appear in 
history and in the experience of the race. Thus we 
see that what is predicted in these symbolisms have 
been, and are literally being, fulfilled in history. There 
are error, war, famine, and pestilence in the earth to- 
day, and they will abide and develop even unto the end. 

In the representation we have in these seal visions, 
our Lord is the One who allows these calamities in 
the earth. But why? The answer of this question 
will help us to see a spiritual application in these four 
seals. Why are the white horse and his rider intro- 
duced into the earth? Why is there so much error 
concerning the Truth in the world? Why are so many 
professed Christians captured and carried off by the 
counterfeit systems of Christianity that are rampant 
on the globe? The reason is that Christ, Who is The 
Truth, is rejected by the people. The people love not 
the Truth, and will not have it, and hence, they are 
sent a strong delusion that they might believe a lie. 
If the people will not have the Truth, then they must 
have error. | 

And further, we notice from these seals that if the 
people will not have peace, they must have war. There 
are just the two states or conditions among the people 
of the earth, peace and war. Christ made peace by His 
blood, promulgated peace by His Resurrection, and is 
now the guarantee of peace before God. He offers 
peace gratuitously to all who will receive it. And if 
they reject it, nothing can ensue but war, and war ts 
agitation, conflict, antagonism, blood and death. The 
peace of God guards the whole inner man, and puts 
the soul at rest. The reason that wars exist in the 
earth is because the Prince of Peace is rejected by 


BREAKING THE SEALS 49 


the world. If the individual soul reject Christ, our 
peace, nothing but turmoil and anguish of heart, mind 
and conscience obtain. 

We note that this is true also regarding famine, or 
the scarcity of food. Christ is not only the Truth in 
opposition to all error, Peace in opposition to all war, 
but He is also the Bread of Life as well. There is a 
famine in the world of the Bread of Life, for the 
Bread of Life is being measured out very carefully. 
That there is a great scarcity of spiritual food in the 
earth, none can successfully gainsay. It is seen every- 
where, and it is terribly manifest in our great city. 
The prophet said, ‘‘ My people perish for the lack of 
knowledge.” But why this spiritual famine? It is 
because Christ, the Bread of Life, is rejected by the 
masses of the people. 

A spiritual application may also be made of the 
fourth seal in our study. As it is agreed the pale 
horse and its rider represent pestilence, plague or dis- 
ease. The Lord said that during His absence and 
what He said has been, and is being literally fulfilled. 
As there are literal pestilences and plagues which issue 
from literal scarcity of food, so there are spiritual 
pestilences and plagues that issue from the scarcity 
of spiritual food. When the spiritual life is at a low 
ebb, or where it does not exist at all, there we will find 
moral pestilences and plagues of all kinds. Why is 
this? It is because the Christ, our Spiritual Health, 
is rejected by the people. There is only one way to 
avoid, or to be permanently saved from the spiritual 
calamities described in these seals, and that is to re- 
ceive Christ as the One and only Saviour from them. 


IV 


BREAKING THE SEALS (Continued) 
REVELATION 6: 9-17 


\ ), YE now come to the study of the fifth and 
sixth Seal Visions. In the first four, horses 
and their riders were conspicuous. Horses 
always symbolized conquest of some kind. In the 
first seal, we have tribulation or suffering caused by 
a counterfeit religious system; in the second, we have 
tribulation caused by famine or scarcity of food; and 
in the fourth, tribulation caused by pestilence, plagues 
and disease. ‘There are no horses in seals five and 
six. The first four seals evidently are not successional 
_ in their historical application, but rather -contempo- 
_ raneous. ‘The seals were first opéned by our Lord at 
| the beginning of the Christian Era, and the horses and 
* their riders have been running along in history up to 
the present moment, and will continue until the con- 
summation of the age. The two seals we are now 
to study cover the same period of time in history. 
They span the period between the Advents, and are 
visions, pictures, or parabolic representations of the 
Events of the ages. We must look at these two seals 
separately. 

1. In the first of these two seals, we are made to 
look upon souls under the altar, “ And when he had 
opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar, the souls 
of them that were slain for the word of God, and for 
the testimony which they held: and they cried with a 
loud voice saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, 
dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them 


50 


BREAKING THE SEALS 51 


that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given 
unto every one of them; and it was said unto them 
that they should rest yet for a little season until their 
fellowservants and their brethren, that should be killed 
as they were should be fulfilled.” Let us notice sev- 
eral things here. 

The question is raised, who or what are these souls? 
There are those who think that they were the souls or 
disembodied spirits of those who had died prior to the 
first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are 
those now who claim that the souls mentioned here 
constitute all the disembodied saved spirits who have 
died throughout the history of the world up to the 
present moment of time. But it is to be greatly 
doubted that the souls mentioned in the Seal are dis- 
embodied spirits at all. The word “souls” is used 
for persons frequently in the Bible. We read about 
every living soul in the sea, referring to the living, 
scattered, and broken members of the Hebrew King- 
dom as they are now dispersed among the nations of 
the earth (16:3). We also read about slaves and 
souls of men when the word “ souls ”’ signifies persons 
living and working in the flesh. Further, we read 
about the “souls” of them that were beheaded for the 
witness of Jesus, and had lived again, and were reign- 
ing with Christ (20:4). These are not necessarily 
disembodied spirits, but persons who have received a 
resurrection. ‘The family of Leah was spoken of as 
so many souls, thirty and three (Gen. 46:15). The 
family also of Rachel was spoken of as “ fourteen 
souls”? (Gen. 46: 22). We read also that the “ souls” 
that went with Jacob into Egypt were threescore and 
six (Gen. 46: 26). The eight persons saved through 
the ark, when they were carried from the old world 


52 BREAKING THE SEALS 


over into the new, were called “souls” (1 Peter 
38:20). Surely this is enough to show that the 
“souls ” mentioned in our passage were not necessarily 
and exclusively disembodied but rather human per- 
sonalities clothed 1n flesh. 

Not only are we to note here who these souls are, 
or were, but we must also observe exactly their /oca- 
tion. ‘The passage says that they were seen under the 
altar. There were two altars in the temple, an outer 
one, which was the Brazen Altar, where all the blood 
sacrifices were offered; and the inner one, the Golden 
Altar, where all the unbloody sacrifices were presented. 
The inner golden altar was located close to the Holy 
Veil near the Most Holy Place; the brazen altar was 
located in the outer court, which court was a symbol 
of the world in which we live. The altar mentioned 
in this passage is not the inner, golden one but rather 
the outer and brazen one. ‘The outer altar stood on 
the great rock over which the temple was built on the 
summit of Mt. Moriah. Beneath that rock was a great 
cavern into which the blood of the sacrifices flowed. 
from above. That cavern exists to-day, and can be 
detected by the deep detonations which are heard when 
its cover is struck by a solid of any kind. The Mo- 
hammedans call that cavern to-day, “The Well of 
Souls.” Doubtless it was from this cavern beneath 
- the brazen altar in the solid rock of Mt. Moriah that 
the symbol of this vision was taken. What did it mean 
_to be under the altar? It meant to be in the place of 
safety, and hence at rest. ‘The altar referred to in 
reality is the blood atonement, made by God and for 
God through the death of His own Son. These souls 
are represented as being under the altar in that they 
are protected for all time and eternity from the wrath 


BREAKING THE SEALS 53 


of God by the once shed, but ever efficacious, blood of 
Jesus Christ. So not only were they persons clothed 
in human flesh, but they were justified saved persons , 
as well. They represent all believers on Jesus Christ > 
throughout this age. i 

It is interesting also to notice just how these souls 
are described. It says, “They were slain for the 
Word of God and for the testimony which they held.” 
Elsewhere they are spoken of as having been beheaded 
for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, 
and because they had gained the victory over the beast 
(20:4). This does not mean that they had been 
literally slain. Keep in mind that we are dealing with 
a symbolic Book. Some think that they were martyrs 
only that John saw beneath the altar in his vision. | 
You will find in the Revelation that all true Christians \ 
are spoken of as martyrs. To be slain for the Word | 
of God andthe testimony of Jesus Christ is to suffer, 
in any way whatsoever, for the Christ in Whom we 
trust. The two witnesses in the eleventh chapter are 
represented as being slain on account of the testimony 
which they bore for Christ. It is not the fire, the 
stake, nor the sword that makes the martyr, it is rather 
the cause, the principle to which one is loyal. The fire, 
the sword and the stake may reveal or declare the 
martyr. I take it that these souls who were slain for 
the Word of God and the testimony which they held, 
include, therefore, all saved men and women. Christ 
was a martyr witness, and our vital union with Him 
makes us all martyr witnesses of Him. 

And again notice the cry of those souls under the 
altar. ‘They are represented as praying, “ How long, 
O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge 
our blood on them that dwell on the earth.” This 


54 BREAKING THE SEALS 


prayer is evidently a call on the part of those “ souls” 
for the exercise of justice and vengeance. It may be 
too much to say that it savours of that which is vin- 
dictive. It was this prayer on the part of those under 
the altar which changed my mind about whom these 
souls really represented. I used to think that they 
were disembodied, saved, and glorified human beings, 
but this prayer seemed to be inconsistent with that 
position regarding them. We could not conceive of 
those who are now in the Presence of God offering 
such a prayer as this. Those who offer such a prayer 
4. as we have here, have evidently not reached full per- 
* fection, or their glorified state. Surely the saved in 
' heaven are not calling upon God for vengeance on 
those who dwell in the earth. 

What we have in this vision is exactly what is rep- 
resented in the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel by 
Luke (18: 1-8). There the Saviour gives a parable of 
how to pray and not to faint. In a certain city, there 
was a godless, unjust judge, and also in that city there 
was a poor widow (woman) who had been terribly 
distressed by her adversary. That widow (woman) 
carried her case to the judge, and she pressed it before 
him, and he ultimately vindicated her, and delivered 
her from the cruelty and tyranny of her enemy. What 
she wanted and needed was the protection of justice, 
and the vindication of her character and her cause. 
This she obtained from the unjust, ungodly judge, and 
now, said the Saviour, “Shall not God avenge His 
own elect which cry day and night unto Him, though 
He bear long with them? I tell you He will avenge 
them speedily.” ‘This is precisely what we have in the 
vision before us. A great deal of wrong has been 
done throughout this age both to the national and 


BREAKING THE SEALS 59 


spiritual people of God, and that wrong is crying unto 
God daily for His exercise of justice, and for the vin- 
dication of the wrongs done. ‘That prayer will be 
answered in a time that is fast approaching, and the 
world will suffer because of injustice, persecution, and 
all kinds of wrong done to the people of God. Even 
now the cry of saved men and saved women is as- 
cending before the face of God. The Church of 
Christ will be vindicated some day. 

We must not leave this part of our study without 
observing the ones upon whom vengeance is called 
down in this vision. The passage says that they are 
“them that dwell on the earth.’ Who are these? As 
you read through the Book of the Revelation you will 
discover at least four different classes of dwellers. 
There are those who dwell in heaven. They are not 
men and women who have died and gone to heaven, 
but are those who have their names written in the 
Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of 
the world. The heaven dwellers of this Book are 
saved men and women of all ages and all countries, 
some dead, and others now living on the face of the 
globe. Many of them live on earth though their citi- 
zenship is in heaven. There are also the sea-dwellers 
mentioned in this Book. ‘The sea in its restlessness, 
barrenness, and waste, represents the nations of the 
earth in turmoil, and ceaseless commotion. ‘The sea- 
dwellers are the Jewish people scattered among the 
nations of the earth to-day. The earth-dwellers are 
the unsaved of this globe, whether dead or living, 
young or old, rich or poor, Jews or Gentiles. Those 
upon whom vengeance is here called down are the 
unsaved, even all of those who hate Christ. 

In the meantime, a Divine answer is given to the 


go 
ce antec 


56 BREAKING THE SEALS 


cry of those under the altar. In answer to their cry, 
they were presented with white robes. The white robe 
in the Book of the Revelation is very significant and 
of a variety of kinds. There was the white robe of 
innocence. We cannot conceive of lifeless shades and 
disembodied spirits receiving such white robes. When 
one was tried to see whether he was guilty of the crime 
laid against him, and when the verdict was rendered, 
both a black and a white robe were used. If found 
guilty, a black robe was put upon him, and he was 
placed on the left hand of the judge; if found innocent 
and was justified, or declared righteous before the 
law, then a white robe was put upon him, and he was 
placed on the right hand of the judge. The white 
and black robes were also used in the athletic games. 
If a man were not victorious in the contest, a black 
robe was put upon him; if he were victorious, then a 
white robe was presented to him. Further, there was 
the white robe of honour at the feast. The white robe 
referred to here, I take to be the white robe of inno- 
cence and promised victory, the cheering answer to the 


_ cry of the souls under the altar, who, though suffering 
* at the hands of the enemy, are approved, precious, and 


| near to their Lord. White robes in such connections 
_ were always the emblems of Divine approval and 
_ blessed relationship with God. Such souls are precious 


in the sight of the Lord, and that is exactly where all 
Christians are to-day, because they are in Christ. The 
delight that the Father has in the Son is the selfsame 
satisfaction He has in all those who believe upon Him. 
The preciousness of the Son in the Presence of the 
Father is the preciousness of all those who are His 
in the Presence of God. Every child of God sheltered 
by the blood has had given to him the white robe, as a 


BREAKING THE SEALS oT 


declaration of righteousness, as a pledge of honour, 
and as a guarantee of victory in the future. 

Not only were they given white robes; they were 
also told to rest for a “ little season, until their fellow- 
servants also and their brethren, that should be killed 
as they were, should be fulfilled.” They were told to 
rest a “little season.” The word “ season” signifying 
the aggregate of ages. This implies that they had 
been resting for some time already. They are told 
that they are to rest until their brethren are also killed 
as they had been. This is given as a reason for delay 
in the avenging of their blood on those who dwell on 
the earth. The number of the saved or those under 
the altar was not then full, or complete, and those who 
dwell on the earth, or the unsaved, were not quite ripe 
at that time for their doom. What was true at that 
time, is true at this time, and in fact, it has been true 
right down through this age. At every moment in 
history, the Church was not yet full, though her com- 
pleteness was hastening on quickly to its full develop- 
ment. At the present time, the world is not yet ripe 
for its judgment, though it is hastening on to its doom 
as fast as time and the purpose of God can carry it. 


It is not difficult to see that persecution is the prin-) prank ad 


cipal idea set forth in the symbolism of this fifth seal, 
and that this is again exactly what our Lord predicted: 
for His people throughout the whole age in which we 
live. In the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel by 
Matthew (v. 9), He said, “Then shall they deliver 
you up to be afflicted and shall kill you: and ye shall 
be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” ‘Thirty 
years after the Ascension, under Nero, multitudes of 
Christians were apprehended, covered by the skins of 
wild beasts, torn to pieces by devouring dogs, fastened 


58 BREAKING THE SEALS 


to crosses, wrapped in combustible garments, so that 
when the daylight failed they might, like torches, serve 
to dispel the gloom of the night. By such a scene as 
this, Nero lighted his own gardens, and'thus the shrieks 
of Christian women burning to ashes, supplied music 
‘and diversion for the circus. Between 87 and 93 A. D., 
fifty thousand Christians were torn to pieces by the 
‘lions in the Roman Coliseun. From that time on, the 
‘persecutions of the Christians continued without 
abatement, when houses were filled with them and set 
on fire, and whole crowds of them were knotted to- 
gether by ropes and cast into the sea. In 303 A. D. in 
Rome, seventeen thousand Christians were slain in one 
month. In that year no less than a hundred and forty- 
four thousand believers died by violence, besides seven 
hundred thousand who died through banishment, or 
the public works, to which they had been condemned. 
Church history bears out the fact that these persecu- 
tions of the Christians by the nations of the earth 
have continued from the beginning of this age to the 
present to a greater or less degree, and this symbolic 
prophecy declares that such persecution will continue 
until the end. | 

2. This leads us to a consideration of the sixth 
Seal Vision. John said, “ And I beheld when he had 
opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earth- 
quake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, 
and the moon became as blood; And the stars of 
heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth 
her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty 
wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is 
rolled together; and every mountain and island were 
moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, 
and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief 


BREAKING THE SEALS 59 


captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman and 
every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the 
rocks of the mountains. And said to the mountains 
and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of 
him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of 
the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and 
who shall be able to stand? ”’ 

There are different views held by Bible students 
regarding the significance and historical application of 
this vision. Some think that it describes the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jewish 
Nation, which had already taken place when this vision 
was viewed. Many such students claim that this vision 
was completely fulfilled in that event. Then there are 
those who think that the vision of the sixth seal sets 
forth the judgment which will take place at the end 
of this age. I am of the firm conviction that this 
vision covers, in its time application, the same period 
that is covered by each of the foregoing ones. It there- 
fore began in history with the opening of the Chris- 
tian Era, and will end with the closing of the Christian 
Era. Already, it has covered a period of nearly two 
thousand years, and it sets forth that particular aspect 
of the Christian dispensation which has to do with 
suffering or tribulation of the people of God caused by 
Revolution and Anarchy within the social order. ‘This 
will appear manifest when we look at it in particular. 

John said, “ And I beheld when he had opened the 
sixth seal, and, lo there was a great earthquake.” 
Again we are reminded that Christ told His disciples 
in that final address of His to them (Matt. 24:7), 
that in and throughout this age, there would be “ earth- 
quakes in divers places.” Earthquakes are woes in 
nature. In Asia Minor in 60 a. D., there was an earth- 


60 BREAKING THE SEALS 


quake when some twenty thousand persons perished 
in a moment of time. In Campania, in 66 A. D., an 
earthquake swept away twenty thousand also in a 
moment of time. In 67 and 68 A. D., when the Roman 
soldiers were invading Palestine, and subjugating Gali- 
lee, there were several earthquakes in Crete, Phrygia, 
at Apania, and Laodicea, and also in Judea, which 
destroyed upward of one hundred thousand souls. In 
after ages, there were several earthquakes in divers 
places, and, strange to say, notwithstanding our Lord’s 
warning and caution, many Christians the world over 
were led through them into a false expectation con- 
cerning our Lord’s Coming. 

It is estimated now that there are twelve or thirteen 
great earthquakes every year, destructive more or less 
to life and property. Indeed, those who know tell us 
that the earth is never free from tremors as indicated 
by delicate instruments, which also record the fact that 
in even violent shocks, the actual movement of the 
ground is surprisingly small, and moreover, is often 
in direction so complicated that different persons give 
conflicting reports of them. In the most destructive 
shocks, whole cities and districts have been laid waste, 
and enormous masses of human beings have lost their 
lives. In 1755, no less than sixty thousand people 
perished in the great Lisbon earthquake. In the last 
century, fifty thousand persons lost their lives through 
earthquakes in Calabria alone. What of the great 
earthquake in Sicily and Calabria within the last few 
years, when upward of two hundred thousand people 
perished in a night? It is estimated now that upward 
of thirty millions of the human race have perished in 
this dispensation through earthquakes. 

An earthquake always means a great shaking, an 


BREAKING THE SEALS 61 


upheaval of some kind or another. The word earth- 
quake in our passage is used to describe a great shak- 
ing, not only in the earth, but in the sea and in the 
heavens as well. There is always something dreadful, 
something mysterious about earthquakes, and the re- 
sults of the great earthquakes are generally visible. 
Sometimes they sink mountains, raise valleys, and 
islands, change the face of the earth, dry up lakes, 
alter watercourses, and, of course, overwhelm vast 
populations. When used as a figure or symbol, the 
earthquake always sets forth great disturbances or 
revolutions among men. ‘This is what we have de- 
lineated in the vision before us. ‘Throughout this age, 
at times, more than at other times, there have been 
great and serious revolutions which have changed the 
social order, and have caused great tribulation to the 
people of God. 

We must now notice some things that occurred when 
the earthquake took place, symbolic of the results of 
some of the great revolutions in history. When the 
earthquake took place in this vision, “the sun became 
black as sackcloth of hair.” Again this is what Christ 
promised for the age preceding His Second Advent 
(Matt. 24: 29), when He said, in “those days shall 
the sun be darkened.” In the Book of the Revelation, 
there are three suns, the orb of light which rules the 
day, the imperial sun which at the time that John 
wrote was the Roman Empire, and the Spiritual Sun, 
Who is Christ. Right down through the age, the 
imperial sun has been darkened upon several occasions, 
the eclipse being sometimes partial, and sometimes 
complete. Empires have risen, had their day, and 
then gone down and out again in blackness. But the 
sun mentioned in this symbolic prophecy is doubtless 


62 BREAKING THE SEALS 


the Sun of Righteousness which rises in many lives 
with healing in Hi8“Wings. There can be no gain- 
saying this fact, for the Christ, as the Source of light 
for a spiritual world, has been eclipsed by the social 
revolutions within the history of the race. At the 
present time, there are approximately sixteen hundred 
million peoples in thé earth, and of that number, at 
most, taking the true and false Christians together, 
only about four hundred millions of them know any- 
thing about Christ and His Saviourhood. 

Not only was the sun darkened when the earth- 
quake took place, but the moon was turned into blood 
as well. This, too, was predicted in the Old Testament, 
and promised by our Lord for the present age. In 
the prophecy by Joel (2: 10, 81; 3: 15), we read “ the 
sun and the moon shall be dark.” “The sun shall be 
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before 
the great and the terrible day of the Lord come,” and, 
“the sun and the moon shall be darkened.’ In the 
second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (v. 20), we 
read “the sun shall be turned into darkness and the 
moon into blood, before the great and notable day of 
the Lord come.” This is a quotation taken from Joel, 
and a promise made by Peter of events that were to 
take place in the earth before the Second Coming of 
Christ. In the Gospel by Matthew (24:29), the 
Saviour promised that during the time of the great 
tribulation, the moon should not give her light. In 
Luke (21:25), the Lord predicted that throughout 
this age, there would be signs in the moon. In the 
Book of the Revelation, there are three moons, the 
body that rules the night, the national moon, which 
was in Old Testament times and in the time that the 
New Testament was written, the Hebrew people; and, 


BREAKING THE SEALS 63 


the spiritual moon, which is the Church of Jesus Christ 
shining in this earth during the period of the Sun’s 
absence. The moon shines in the night, and that with 
a borrowed light. 

During the old dispensation and up to the destruc- 
tion of the Jewish Kingdom under Titus in 70 a. D., 
the Hebrew Kingdom reflected the light of the Reve- 
lation of God in His unity, power, wisdom, grace, 
justice, and mercy. They were the only people who 
stood for the oneness of Jehovah, and they told out 
the blessedness of worshipping and serving Him. But 
on account of the unfaithfulness of that people to 
Jehovah, they lost their light-giving power, and were 
scattered over the face of the globe. For two thou- 
sand years now, the national people of God have been 
unable to give forth their light, and hence the moon 
has been turned into blood. But what happened to 
the Hebrew Kingdom has transpired at times and in 
places with the Spiritual Moon, the Church, in this 
age. ‘The Church has risen to reflect her derived Light 
from Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, and then on 
account of a lack of faithfulness, has become dim and 
dark, and has disappeared altogether as the Reflector 
of the true Light. This is plainly seen when we study 
the history of the churches of Asia Minor, Palestine, 
Africa, and other countries. Yes, it is true that not 
only has the Christ Himself been eclipsed in this age, 
but the Church has been turned into blood as well, and 
that as a result of the revolutions, the anarchies, and 
the disturbances within the federated, organized, social 
order. What Christ predicted, and what this prophecy 
prefigured has literally come to pass. in history in re- 
lation to Christ, the Jewish Nation, and the Church. 

The next thing that followed as a result of the earth- 


64 BREAKING THE SEALS 


quake that John saw, was that the stars of heaven fell 
into the earth, and they fell as figs from the fig tree, 
when the tree is shaken of a mighty wind. In the 
prophecy by Joel (2: 10), it was predicted that in the 
last days, the period of time in which we now live, 
“the stars shall withdraw their shining.” Again in 
the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel by Matthew, 
the Saviour said, “ The stars shall fall from heaven.” 
In the Book of the Revelation, stars are often used as 
illustrations of persons. For instance, we read in the 
first chapter about Christ having a hand full of stars, 
seven in number. Then in the same chapter (v. 20), 
we are told that the seven stars in the hand of Christ 
represented the angels or messengers of the seven 
churches in Asia Minor. 

Further, we read about two individual stars, one a 
falling star which represents the devil, and the other a 
Bright and Morning Star, which represents Jesus 
Christ the Son of God. ‘The stars in this Seal Vision 
illustrate, or prefigure, both real and professed Chris- 
tian men and women, who, throughout this age, fall 


it morally, doctrinally, and spiritually from their orbits 


in the Sphere of divine privilege. These falling stars 
tell us of apostasy from the faith, and of error con- 
cerning the faith. In the twelfth chapter we read 
about the great dragon having a tail which sweeps 
through the heavenly regions and draws down to the 
earth many of the heavenly bodies. ‘The tail of the 
dragon is error concerning the Truth, and by the sys- 
tems of doctrinal error in the world, the devil accom- 
plished the downfall of many who profess, and who 
truly believe upon Christ as their Saviour. Surely 
what is here symbolically predicted has come to pass 
over and over again in this age, and will come to pass 


BREAKING THE SEALS 65 


repeatedly, and perhaps increasingly, until the age 
finally comes to a close. 

Not only is the Sun eclipsed, the Moon turned into 
blood, and the stars made to fall from heaven, but the 
heaven itself is rolled up as a scroll, and then recedes 
from the earth. In the Gospel by Matthew, Christ 
said that before the time of His coming, “ the powers 
of the heavens shall be shaken” (v. 29). Keep in 
mind that there are three distinct heavens mentioned 
in this Book; the heaven of the atmosphere, the heaven 
of the stars, and the Heaven of the Heavens, where 
God has His throne, where Christ is, and where all 
the saved dead and the holy angels are. In the Epistle 
to the Ephesians, there is a region or sphere spoken 
of as “ The Heavenlies.” Heaven in Ephesians is used 
to signify that which is in contradistinction to all that 
which is earthly. ‘‘ The Heavenlies’’ may be defined 
as the sphere of the believers’ spiritual experience as 
identified with Christ in nature, in relationship, in serv- 
ice, in suffering, in inheritance, and in the future king- 
dom of glory. Now when this symbol speaks of the 
heaven departing as a scroll and being rolled up, the 
reference may be to the departure from the believer 
of his spiritual experience when he falls on account of 
heresy in the Truth, or his apostasy from the Truth. 
Further, perhaps it is a reference to the shaking of the 
powers of the heavens which would be disturbances 
among earthly governments which have been estab- 
lished by the authority of God in heaven. The Apostle 
Paul tells us (Rom. 13: 1-7) that we ought to be sub- 
ject to the higher or heavenly powers, for there is no 
power but of God, and the powers that be are or- 
dained of God. The “powers” to which He makes 
reference are not stellar, not spiritual, but rather 


66 BREAKING THE SEALS 


political. It is true that when there are revolutions in 
the earth, human governments are terribly disturbed, 
and sometimes are put at their wit’s end. It appears 
to me that the rolling up of the heaven, and its reced- 
ing, refers to the political heavens that dwell and oper- 
ate upon the earth. _ 

You will also notice that under this Seal Vision 
some great changes took place in the earth. When 
John heard the earthquake, and saw its results, he 
said that every mountain and island were moved out 
of their places. A mountain is always the illustration 
of an Empire well established, and unshaken by any 
force that might be exercised against it. An island, a 
piece of land surrounded by water, stood for a pro- 
vincial or state government connected with and con- 
trolled by the Empire. John did not see the moun- 
tains and islands destroyed. He just saw them mov- 
ing or shifting from one place to another. That spoke 
to John and to the early Christians of governmental 
changes in the earth. Surely this has been taking place 
on the face of the globe for two thousand years. Em- 
pires have risen, human governments have been estab- 
lished, have had their day, and then fallen, to be suc- 
ceeded by empires and governments of a different kind. 
There was first government by absolutism, then by 
oligarchy, then militarism, and then the imperial 
form, and, for hundreds of years, a combination of 
government by absolutism and democracy. Kings have 
risen to their thrones, worn their crowns for a short 
period, and then have toppled from their royal seats in 
great disaster. Every change of empire, and every 
change of government in the history of the race for 
two thousand years, has been due to the earthquake of 
revolution within the social order. 


BREAKING THE SEALS 67 


When this Sixth Seal Vision recorded the earth- 
quake, there was great terror and distress among the 
sons of men. “And the kings of the earth, and the 
great men; and the rich men, and the chief captains, 
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every 
free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks 
of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that 
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the 
Lamb.” It will be observed that the distress and 
terror symbolized here reach from the kings on their 
thrones right down to the bondmen working at the 
mill. None are excluded. They are represented as 
going to the mountains for shelter, and for protection 
from the anger of the One who sits upon the throne. 
I mentioned that the mountains symbolized empires, 
or human governments. Is it not true that all classes 
of society in this age have made, and are making ap- 
peals to the governments of the earth for protection 
and help in the causes they represent? ‘This is what 
is being done to-day by every section of society, with 
the result that there is “ upon the earth distress of na- 
tions, with perplexity’ (Luke 21: 25). 

This is the day of God’s wrath mingled with mercy. 
This day opened when the Christian Era began and 
will close when the Christian Era will end. God is not 
well pleased with the nations of the earth to-day. He 
is angry with the people, for the reason that they have 
rejected His Son, the rightful King of this earth. The 
cause of the terror and distress described in this 
symbolic way is the angry countenance of Him who 
sits upon the throne and the wrath of the Lamb. That 
which is a displeasure to Christ is so to God the Fa- 
ther. God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son are 


68 BREAKING THE SEALS 


so entirely one, that what pleases or displeases One, 
pleases or displeases the Other. Though Christ be a 
Lamb, He can be angry, even to wrath, and the wrath 
of the Lamb is exceeding dreadful; for, if the Re- 
deemer that appeases the wrath of God, Himself be 
the wrathful Enemy, where can a friend be found who 
will plead our cause? ‘Those perish eternally and ter- 
ribly, who perish by the wrath of the Redeemer. As 
men have their day of opportunity, and their seasons 
of grace, so God the Father and the Son have their 
day of righteous anger. All the judgments here pre- 
figured have already fallen upon the world, are fall- 
ing upon the world now, and they will all, to the ut- 
most degree, fall upon impenitent sinners in the judg- 
ment of the last day. 

We have seen in our study of these sealed visions 
that what Christ predicted in His preview of this age 
is here set forth in a symbolic fashion. What we have 
described throughout these Sealed Visions is suffering 
or tribulation for the people of God. It is first tribu- 
lation by a false Christian faith; then tribulation by 
militarism in war; and third, tribulation in famine and 
scarcity of food resulting from war; following upon 
this, tribulation from pestilence and disease; and then, 
following upon tribulation from pestilence and disease, 
there is tribulation from persecution; and finally, trib- 
ulation from revolution within the social order. This 
is truly “ The Great Tribulation ” predicted by Christ, 
and referred to in the Book of the Revelation (7: 14). 
‘This Great Tribulation began at the opening of the 
Christian Era, has been going on ever since, is in 
progress now, and will increase in intensity until He 
comes Whose right it is to reign. 


« 





V 


BREAKING THE SEALS (Continued) 
REVELATION 7: I-17 


HE words “after these things,” as in the 
opening of the fourth chapter, do not neces- 
sarily indicate anything chronological. They 

indicate rather a change of picture or vision, and hence 
a change of subject treated. The contents of this 
chapter is not a conclusion, and neither is it a paren- 
thesis. What we have here belongs to the sixth seal, 
is a part of it, both in the vision and in history, and 
runs concurrently with what we have in all of the seals. 
The subject of the first seal is religious error. It does 
not deal with any particular error, but all error con- 
cerning Christ and His Truth throughout this age. 
The subject of the second seal is war. It does not 
deal with any particular war, but all war in this dis- 
pensation. ‘The subject of the third seal is famine. 
It does not specify and predict any particular famine, 
but includes all famine. The subject of the fourth 
seal is pestilence, disease or plague, a condition arising 
out of famine. It does not specify any particular 
pestilence, disease or plague in the epoch between the 
first and second advents of Christ. The subject of the 
fifth seal is persecution, not any particular persecution, 
but a seat The eine of the first part of 
lar See but all. ‘revolution up to the second com- 
ing of Jesus. The ‘subject of the second part of the 
sixth seal, that which we have in this seventh chapter, 
69 


70 BREAKING THE SEALS 


is salvation (v. 10), a particular salvation, even that 
which issues from the work of the blood of the slaugh- 
tered Lamb. These subjects do not run along suc- 
\ cessionally in history, but rather concurrently. We 
| have had error concerning Christ, war, famine, plague, 
“persecution, and revolution right down through the 
age; in fact, we have them all now in different parts 
of the world. They do not succeed each other, but 
accompany each other, and throughout all, the Gospel 
of Grace is preached, and the Holy Spirit works with 
the result of salvation to all who believe. 

In the introductory part of this chapter, there are 
three sets of four each, three being the heavenly, and 
four the earthly number. There are “ the four corners 
of the earth,’’ or as we would say, “the four points 
of the compass ”’ which always signify world-wide ex- 
tension. ‘There are “the four winds,” not of “ the 
heaven,” as in Daniel (7: 2), but of “ the earth ” which 
testify of their moral origin. These winds are judg- 
ment evils which tend to beat upon the earth, repre- 
senting the Hebrew Kingdom, the sea, standing for 
the common populus at any time, and the living fruit- 
bearing trees which signify the institutions of both. 
These winds set before us in a very vivid fashion, uni- 
versal evils in the world which constantly tend to de- 
stroy the human family and the products of its efforts 
for the betterment of the race. Perhaps there is a 
direct reference in these judgment gales to the con- 
tents of the previous seals, error, war, famine, pesti- 
lence, persecution, and revolution. These winds 
signify destroying judgments of some kind, and, be- 
ing four in number, include them all. 

Further, there are four angels or messengers. These 
angels are represented as holding with firm hands, the 





PN a a ee 


on % Rios = pares 


BREAKING THE SEALS 71 


winds, that they might not blow with totally destruc- 
tive power upon the earth, the sea, and the trees. They 
are holding, tempering, and restraining the gales of 
judgment. There have been, and are many hurtful 
evils in the earth, and as the days go by, they seem to 
increase in force, variety and number, but, thanks be 
unto God, no evil has arisen to “hurt” the family of 
man but what there has come into existence the angel 
of contrasting good to hold, temper, modify, and re- 
strain it. Truth restrains error, peace restrains war, 
plenty restrains famine, and life, practical life, always 
restrains death. The race would have been utterly 
destroyed ere this by the judgment winds of evil, had 
it not been for God’s restraining power. God has 
many of these angels in the earth. Think of Christian 
education, Christian legislation, Christian charity, and 
Christian evangelization! What if we had not the 
restraining force of these, and many other angels in 
the earth? What if these angels should relax and 
release their hold? They wil] relax and release their 
hold when all the servants of God are sealed for eternal 
salvation. 

Observe also that there is an individual angel or 
messenger depicted in this introduction. He is called 
manotien angels yy Vhe word! ;another”’ here, is.of 
a particular nature. It is “allos,” not “ beteros,” and 
denotes a similarity of nature, character, and office with 
a person or angel mentioned previously.. The angel 
“mentioned previously is the Author of the Revelation 
(compare 1:1 and 22: 8-21). This will help us to 
identify the angel of our chapter as He appears 
throughout the Book. He is referred to as “ another ”’ 
angel no less than eight different times, and every time 
the word means “ 


at 


another angel or messenger who is | 


72 BREAKING THE SEALS 


the same.” He is therefore one and the same angel or 
messenger throughout. In the eighth chapter, we see 
this Angel at the altar holding the golden censer. In 
chapter ten, we see Him coming down from heaven 
clothed with a cloud, a rainbow about His head, His 
face shining as the sun, and His legs and feet like 
unto pillars of fire. In chapter fourteen, we see Him 
flying through mid-heaven having the everlasting 
Gospel to preach to them who dwell on the earth. In 
the same chapter, we hear Him proclaiming the doom 
of Babylon, the false Christian system in the earth. 
Once more in chapter fourteen, we see Him as the 
Reaper of the harvest, and as the One who has author- 
ity to order the gathering in of the golden grain. It 
is not difficult to identify this Angel as the Christ. 

In the passage before us, this “ another”? Angel is 
seen ascending from the east, or the land of the sun- 
rising, the quarter whence there comes the light which 
dispels the darkness, gilds the loftiest mountain tops, 
and penetrates into the narrow gorges and the black- 
est recesses of the valleys. It will be recalled that the 
east was a quarter from which God’s glory frequently 
manifested itself. This Angel is doubtless Christ, and 
the fact that He is seen in this picture ascending from 
the east, is a reference to His first advent, and ’the 
glory that accompanied it. 

This angel also is represented as “having the seal 
of the living God.” The “ Seal” or stamp is the Holy 
Spirit (Eph. 1: 13), and the One who does the sealing 
is God the Father (2 Cor. 1: 21, 22). Originally to 
seal was to mark, or to stamp for identification, genu- 
ineness, ownership, or preservation. This Angel as- 
cending from the east, having the Seal of God, is a 
reference to Christ the Redeemer, in His birth, life, 


ee ee ee ———— 


FR ge ee ee 


he ee ee 





BREAKING THE SEALS 73 


death, resurrection, and exaltation, and the result of 
all of this, the giving of the Holy Spirit to men on 
earth (Acts 2: 33). 

But this Angel has authority over the four angels 
whose office it is to restrain the judgment winds, for 
He is represented as crying with a loud voice, the 
voice of authority, and saying unto them, ‘“ Hurt not 
the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees till we have 
sealed the servants of God in their foreheads.” These 
angels hear His voice and obey His order implicitly 
and promptly. Christ is not only the Source, Foun- 
tain, and Substance of all good in the universe, but 
He is its Master, and its Agent as well. All good in- 
stitutions employed to-day in restraining evil operate 
successfully only at the command and under the power 
of Christ our Angel Redeemer. 

The vision proper, as contained in this chapter, is 
double, first setting before us the saved from all Israel 
in this age, and second the great multitude of the 
redeemed in this age from all the nations of the earth. 
There are too companies here, and we must look at 
them separately. 

1. Notice then, the sealed from among all the tribes 
of the Children of Israel (3-8). There are several 
things about them, the first being their title. They are 
called the “ servanis of our God.” As I said in a 
previous chapter, the word “ servants” is used nine 
different times in the Revelation. It is used first in a 
general way to describe all the readers of this book 
(1:1). In another passage (10: 7), they are spoken 
of as “ His servants the prophets,” including all of 
both the Old and New Testament ministry. In still 
another passage (11:18), they are described as the 
saints or sanctified ones who love God’s Person, both 


TA BREAKING THE SEALS 


small and great. It would seem from other passages 
in the Book (19: 2, 5; 22: 38, 6), that the word “ serv- 
ants”’ describes to us all the people of God both dead 
and living. The servants of our passage, however, do 
not include all the people of God in this age, but only 
those who are saved by Divine Grace, out from the 
midst of God’s natiorial people, the Jews. 

Not only have we their title given, but their number 
as well. John did not count them, but heard their 
number which was a hundred and forty-four thousand. 
This number, of course, like all the figures of the book, 
is symbolic. The number was twelve multiplied by 
twelve thousand. In twelve, there is three, the Divine 
number, multiplied by four, the human number, speak- 
ing of Deity united with humanity. Twelve was the 
number of the patriarchs, the tribes, and the apostles 
of the Lord, and so is appropriate to prefigure the 
saved from among the Hebrew people. Twelve among 
the Jews signified fixity and completeness, and multi- 
plied by twelve thousand, it told of something Divine 
extending throughout the whole earth, What we 
have illustrated here is the fixed and complete number 
of saved Jews scattered as they are and will be by the 
Divine plan and power over the whole face of the 
earth. 

It is of interest also to note that these people are 
represented as being “ sealed”? by the Angel who 
ascends from the sun rising, and that out of every 
tribe of the Children of Israel. Israel is the royal, 
literal, national people of Jehovah, the Jews. This is 
not a reference to spiritual Israel, for the tribal groups 
and relations have nothing to do in such a company of 
God’s people. There were twelve tribes of them, and 
though ten of the number is lost to man, and though 


BREAKING THE SEALS T5 


they are all scattered throughout the world, yet out of 
every tribe, a certain fixed number are redeemed. God 
knows where the ten tribes are, and day by day He is 
saving some of them through the proclamation of the 
Gospel. But they are being “sealed,” stamped, 
marked, or branded. The seal was used to ratify a 
finished agreement, to mark as perfect, to identify as 
property, to proclaim as owner, and to make safe or 
secure. These were sealed or branded upon their fore- 
heads, the most conspicuous place, the part that pic- 
tured the whole personal life, the noblest part of the 
body, where the helmet was worn and where the golden 
band entitled “ HoLINEss TO THE LorD” was placed 
and carried. Sealing was an emblem of preservation 
amidst the judgment of earthly troubles, and so what 
we have here is salvation fixed and complete for eter- 
nity, notwithstanding the great tribulation through 
which these people are passing. The judgment winds: 
may blow, but the sealed of the Lord are eternally 
secure against them. 

2. This leads to the second group in the chapter, 
the multitude that no man could number from every 
nation or race of men (9-17). The human family 
was one in origin, but afterward divided itself into 
tribes, peoples, and tongues, and hence the one singu- 
lar stands first, followed by three plurals, “‘ kindreds,” 
“peoples,” and “ tongues.’”’ As the hundred and forty- 
four thousand signified a saved elect from Israel, so 
the numberless multitude represents a saved elect 
throughout this age from among the Gentiles. We 
are told several things about this group, and we must 
summarize them and present them briefly. There is 
first their natural, general character. They are a 
“great multitude.’ ‘These two words do not only 


76 BREAKING THE SEALS 


tell of a vast throng, but of a great variety, of age, race, 
colour, position, language, intelligence, belief, and 
service. ‘Their position is also described, for they 
“stood before the throne and before the Lamb.” Be- 
fore the throne was a place of the seven lamps of fire, 
symbolism of Divine illumination, and the sea of glass, 
symbolism of Divine cleansing (4:5, 6). These peo- 
ple then are both divinely illuminated and sanctified. 
But standing before the throne was a place and posi- 
tion which indicated readiness for service (v. 15). 
They are an illuminated, sanctified, and serving people. 

Their dress is described also, for the picture pre- 
sents them as “clothed with white robes.” They had 
washed their robes and made them white in the blood 
of the Lamb, and for that reason are “they before 
the throne.” It will be remembered that white robes 
were worn by guests at the feast, which spoke of royal 
honour, by victors from the games, which spoke of 
triumph, by those “not guilty”? in court, which de- 
clared their justification, and by the priests which 
testified of personal and ceremonial purity, and telling 
, of a right to service in the Presence of God. The 
_ white robes here speak of justification before God, and 
_ the privilege of service for Him. This group, then, are 
* justified and ready to serve. 

They also have “ palms in their hands.” The palm 
branch was a symbol of liberty, joy, and triumph. It 
was used in the Feast of Tabernacles on the fifteenth 
day of the month when they kept feast to God in holy 
praise and thanksgiving for their ingathered fruits, 
an emblem of the ingathering of the harvest of the 
elect redeemed as here described, which ingathering 
is now in progress. ‘These people are not only il- 
luminated, cleansed, and justified, they are free, joyful, 


eee at 


BREAKING THE SEALS 17 


hopeful, and triumphant also, as all Christ’s own now 
should be, for this is not the heavenly scene, but an 


a 
*. 


The vision also tells us that while they stood before 
the throne robed in glistening whiteness, and grasping 
and waving their palm branches, “they cried,’—not 
“cried ”’ but, as the Greek has it, “Cry,” or shout, 
showing that the “Cry” or shout is their continuing 
ceaseless employment. What do they “cry”? “Sal- 
vation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and 
unto the Lamb.” God is alone the Author of salvation, 
Christ alone, as the sacrificial Lamb, is the Medium 
of salvation. These precious souls from among the 
nations are saved or made safe, and they ascribe all 
the praise of their salvation to God. Those who have 
truly entered into the joy of a full salvation in Christ, 
know that it is all of God, and hence their ascription 
of praise unto Him. We are informed that, when souls 
are saved, there is joy, great and triumphant joy, in 
the presence of the angels (Luke 15: 7). This vision 
shows us clearly when souls are redeemed through the 
precious blood of Christ, that the angels in heaven are 
affected by it, for they are represented here as wor- 
shipping God and saying unto Him, ‘“ Amen: Bless- 
ing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and 
honour and power and might be unto our God forever 
and ever. Amen.” Heaven is thrilled when men and 
women are saved in the earth. 

When the elders heard this sevenfold doxology of 
the angelic host, they were awakened to the importance 
and dignity of the white-robed throng, so one of them, 
speaking perhaps for the rest, and representing the 
Old Testament ministry, asked of John, the apostle 


Waite S 


78 BREAKING THE SEALS 


of love, “ Who are these which are arrayed in white 
robes? And whence came they?” This elder was 
comparatively ignorant of the origin, character, and 
destiny of the blood-washed multitude. We must not 
blame this elder too much, for to this very day, many 
professed Christians are comparatively ignorant of the 
origin, dignity, character, mission, and future glory 
of the Redeemed. But this elder was wise in that he 
went to the true source for information, and we would 
that all did the same thing. John answered, saying, 
“These are they which came out of great tribulation, 
and have washed their robes, and made them white 
in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before 
the throne of God (justified), and serve Him day and 
night.” 

There are several things in this explanation of the 
palm-bearing throng, and one of them in particular we 
must notice. It has special reference to their origin. 
John said, “These are they which came (or come) 
out of great tribulation.” Behind the word tribula- 
tion, there is a picture. Imagine the oxen treading 
out the grain in the threshing-floor, and hauling after 
them a sled-like instrument, which sometimes was 
driven full of splints of stone or spikes of iron. That 
instrument was called the tribulum. That instrument 
separated the straw from the wheat, the chaff from 
the grain, and got it ready for the winnowing. Tribu- 
lation means trouble, but trouble that generally does us 
good. There is experimental trouble, or tribulation 
when the heart and mind are in great distress, or sor- 
row. That is the spiritual trouble or tribulation 
through which souls must pass before their robes are 
washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. 
We call this trouble “a sense of guilt,” ‘ conviction,” 





“ 
4 
a 
2 
{ 
FA 
Be 


BREAKING THE SEALS 79 


”» 


“repentance.” Whatever it is, souls must pass through 
it before they can stand justified in the presence of 
God. ‘That tribulation or soul trouble is caused by 
the Holy Spirit in His use of the tribulum of the 
Word. Is that the tribulation here? Think of it! 

There is another tribulation, and we might call it 
now the prophetic, historical one. Daniel predicted 
(12:1) that there would come to the people of God 
an unexampled time of trouble, and during that time 
of trouble, many of the Lord’s people would be re- 
deemed, even those who had their names written in 
the Divine birth register. At the time when that 
prophecy was uttered, one period of tribulation was 
about closing, the seventy years of captivity in Baby- 
lon. The people of God at that time thought that their 
tribulation was over. They were mistaken regarding 
this matter, for another period of tribulation was pre- 
dicted for them which would be more intensive and 
extensive than the one they had just suffered. This 
period of tribulation pursued them through the Persian 
and Grecian Empires, and up to 70 A. D., under the 
Roman Empire, when the Hebrew Kingdom went 
down and out in blood, and the nation itself lost en- 
tirely its city, its land, and its polity, and was scat- 
tered over the face of the earth. 

That was a long period of terrible trouble for the 
people of God. It culminated in the invading of 
Palestine by the Roman army, and by the destruction 
of the Holy City, when literally hundreds of thousands 
of the people of God perished. The “ great tribula- 
tion’ and “ the tribulation of those days” referred to 
by the Lord (Matt. 24: 22, 29) was the terrible time 
of trouble through which the people passed from about 
66 a. D. to 70 A.D, When the Lord spoke concerning 


80 BREAKING THE SEALS 


that unexampled time of trouble, the event to Him 
and to His disciples was altogether prospective. It 
took place about thirty-eight years after He uttered 
that prophecy. Since 70 A. D., that “ great tribulation ” 
has been retrospective. ‘That great trouble for God’s 
people is passed and has been passed for nearly two 
thousand years. 

But dating from the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
running throughout the whole course of this age, the 
Lord predicted another “ great tribulation” for His 
people. This is what He referred to in Matthew 
(24:29) and Luke (21:24). This tribulation, or 
time of trouble, was to continue from the destruction 
of Jerusalem through the ages, past our own time, 
“until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,” which 
fulfillment will be completed when this dispensation 
reaches its consummation. Jesus said (John 16: 33) 
to His disciples when He was about leaving them, 
“In the world ye shall have tribulation,” and they had 
it, and their successors have been having it ever since. 
Paul, in perfect agreement with the prediction of 
Jesus, said, that through much tribulation we must 
enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14: 22). The tribu- 
‘lation of our chapter, literally, “the tribulation the 
‘great, or the greatest one,” is the tribulation predicted 
by our Lord for His people in this age down to the 
end. It has been and is the greatest tribulation of 
all. It is the greatest in intensity, and the greatest in 
extent, for it has involved the whole round world. 
Its vortex is not one particular country, but all coun- 
tries on the face of the globe. It is greatest also in 
duration, for none has continued so long as this one. 
The Babylonian captivity only lasted for seventy years. 
The period covered when the people of God suffered 





BREAKING THE SEALS 81 


so much under the Persian, Grecian, and Roman Em- 
pires, ending with 70 A. D. was only between six and 
seven hundred years. But from 70 A. D. to the pres- 
ent, it is now nearly two thousand years. The period 
has been so long that the Church has cried out again 
and again, “Oh, Lord God, how long?” Further, we 
can say that the tribulation of this age is the greatest 
in its multiplicity of elements. The people of God 
have suffered from heresy, war, famine, plague, per- 
secution, revolution, poverty, ‘“‘by schisms rent 
asunder,” and by the cruel, crushing power of the 
devil-dominated world system. This is the tribulation 
or the trouble, “the great tribulation’ we have por- 
trayed by the illustration of the tribulum in this vision. 
Tt will continue until He comes whose right it is to 
forever close it. 

These people are the redeemed both from among 
Jews and Gentiles, who are saved in this age, who 
have been washed and made whiter than snow in the 
precious blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they be- 
fore the throne, justified, and serve God perpetually. 
This is the Church in heaven and on earth declared 
righteous, cleansed, and ideally glorified, and looked at 
from the Divine viewpoint. What a glorious com- 
pany! Is it any wonder that the angelic host chant 
their praises to God for such a manifestation of His 
saving grace! | 

We do not lose sight of this company of the re- 
deemed until our attention is called to their future 
prospects. These are given in briefest outline, and the 
promises made for their future are no less than seven 
in number. Six times we have the word “ shall” in 
this part of the vision, and it always looks to the fu- 
ture. ‘And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell 


82 BREAKING THE SEALS 


among them.” The word “ dwell” is “ tabernacle.” 
When Christ first tabernacled on earth in the flesh, it 
was in great humility, but when He tabernacles on earth 
a second time in the midst of His people, it will be in 
great glory. “ They shall hunger no more, neither 
thirst any more.” ‘They had suffered from famine, but 
they would do so.no more. Every longing of the 
redeemed soul will then be abundantly satisfied, and 
that because “the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living 
fountains of waters.” The food for the redeemed 
souls, then, will be Christ Himself, or God as revealed 
in Christ, and the fountains of living waters will be 
the spiritual refreshments provided by the Holy Ghost. 
“Neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat.” 
The intense heat of the eastern sun is made the symbol 
of tribulation or trouble of any kind (Matt. 13: 6, 21). 
These people had suffered much trouble, and their 
successors have suffered much trouble since, but, in 
the future, when the glory breaks, the sun of tribula- 
tion will set forever. 

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes.” What a blessed promise! These people had 
wept many tears, and were weeping many tears when 
John saw them in the vision. For two thousand years 
now, the people of God have been weeping. The Wife 
is a weeping Wife. Her Husband is absent and re- 
jected, and her children on earth are disloyal and un- 
true. But all tears are to be wiped away, and that by 
God Himself. We wipe away one group of tears, 
and another group immediately gathers. There are 
tears of sorrow, tears of loneliness, tears of persecu- 
tion, of plague, of war, tears of famine, and tears of 
disappointment, but God will wipe them all away. At 


BREAKING THE SEALS 83 


that time, it will be glory for all who have been re- 
deemed from amidst the great trouble, and have 
washed their robes, and made them glistening white 
in the precious blood of the Lamb slain from before 
the foundation of the world. 


Brief life is here our portion; 
Brief sorrow, short-lived care; 
The life that knows no ending, 
The tearless life, is there. 
O happy retribution! 
Short toil, eternal rest; 
For mortals and for sinners 
A mansion with the blest! 


And now we fight the battle, 
But then shall wear the crown 
Of full and everlasting 
And passionless renown; 

And He Whom now we trust in, 
Shall then be seen and known, 
And they that know and see Him, 
Shall have Him for their own. 


O one, O only mansion! 
O Paradise of joy! 
Where tears are ever banished 
And smiles have no alloy; 
Thy loveliness oppresses 
All human thought and heart, 
And none, O Peace, O Zion, 
Can sing thee as thou art. 


VI 


BREAKING THE SEALS (Concluded) 
REVELATION 8: 1-5 


HE, Roll or Book which was given to and 
taken by the Lamb amid the praises of the 
heavenly hosts is still in the hands of the 
Lamb. He has broken six of the Seals. The break- 
ing of the seventh and final seal, and the most im- 
portant of them all, now comes up for consideration. 
The contents of this Seventh Seal will occupy our at- 
tention for some time, for the reason that we will not 
reach its limit until we arrive at the end of the eleventh 
chapter. Some think that the contents of the Seventh 
Seal extend down to the end of the sixteenth chapter, 
where we have the conclusion of the bowl judgments. 
However that may be, we are sure that the trumpets 
all issue from the Seventh Seal and they are not com- 
pleted until “the time’ of the dead*® (11:18) a97; 
which will be at the close of this dispensation. 

In this passage we have an introduction to what 
follows right down to the blast of the last trumpet. 
We will pick out these symbols and look at them 
separately, and this will help us to see their connec- 
tion and application both to history and experience. 
The symbols contained in this passage are somewhat 
complex, and are therefore difficult to understand. 

1. The first symbol to notice is the Half Hour of 
Heavenly Silence. “ And when the Lamb opened the 
seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the 
space of half an hour.” Here we have three things, 


84 


BREAKING THE SEALS 85 


the sphere of the silence, the period of the silence, and 
the significance of the silence. As for the sphere of 
the silence, it was in heaven where God, Christ, holy 
angels, and the saved dead dwell. This heaven stands 
for the invisible spiritual region, that region in which 
mankind is so much interested. But the period of this 
heavenly silence is described as ‘about the space of 
half an hour.” In the Gospel by John, the writer of 
the Revelation, we read frequently of “an hour.’ At 
one time the “hour” included the whole period of 
our Lord’s public ministry (2:4) which was approx- 
imately three years and a half. Then it certainly com- 
prehended the whole period of our Lord’s suffering 
for human sin upon the tree, which was actually the 
space of about six hours (John 12:27). Further, 
John uses the word “hour ” to set forth the period of 
the Gospel dispensation, during which humans, through 
faith, are brought out of a state of death into a state 
of life (John 5: 25). Up to the present, this “ hour ” 
has lasted for about two thousand years. The passage 
under consideration speaks of a period of time as 
“about the space of half an hour.” It was not ex- 
actly half an hour, but “about ’”’ or somewhere near 
half an hour. We would say “a half an hour more 
or less.” ‘Thus we see that the space of time referred 
to, on the human side at least, was of an indefinite 
duration. It was not literally a half hour of thirty 
minutes. In the Book of the Revelation the half of 
anything suggests, not so much an actual half, as a) 
broken and interrupted whole—like five a broken ten, | 
six a broken twelve, and three and a half, a broken. 
seven. In the half hour, then, we have a complete | 
undetermined period of time broken, and therefore 
troublous. 


5. 


- 


86 BREAKING THE SEALS 


But it is to be noted carefully that this period is 
“about the space of half an hour,” during which there 
is “ stlence in heaven.” What does this silence mean? 
We can only get at its significance by remembering 
that, like many other pictures of this book, this one 
is taken from the temple service. In the old Jewish 
temple musical instruments and singing resounded 
continually during the whole time of the offering of 
the bloody sacrifices, which always formed the first 
part and the foundation of all the rest of the service. 
But at the offering of the incense, which signifies the 
presentation of prayers, praises, and worship unto 
God, solemn silence was kept while the priest was 
ministering at the altar, and the people praying se- 
cretly and silently without (Luke 1:9, 10). This is 
precisely the picture before us. The sacrifice of blood 
has been completely and finally made. The atonement 
for the race has been accomplished. Christ, the angel 
High Priest, is at the golden altar. He has been there 
since He went into the Holy Place in the Ascension, 
and will remain there until He, like the high priest of 
old, reappears with benediction for His believing, wor- 
shipping people. The silence mentioned in this picture 


*) is not the silence of awe or fear of impending judg- 


ment, but the silence of rest and peace in atonement 
having been accomplished. By the half hour of si- 
lence we have the suspension of judgment. It is a 
pause by and during which God gives space for re- 
pentance, and offers to the people a full and free sal- 
vation. The whole prophetic era from Pentecost to 
Parousia is “about the space of half an hour.” We 
have been in this half hour for a period of two thou- 
sand years, and will remain in it until Christ comes a 
second time. 


BREAKING THE SEALS 87 


2. Not only have we the half hour silence, but we 
also have the Seven Angels. ‘And I saw the seven 
angels which stood before God.” There has been con- 
siderable conjecture about these angels. By the word 
“angels” we ordinarily understand a race of spiritual 
beings, of a nature exalted far above that of man, 
although infinitely removed from that of God, whose 
office is to do Him service in heaven, and, by His 
appointment, to help men on earth. There is such a 
race of spiritual beings, and they are ministering spirits 
sent forth to do service for them who are the possessors 
of salvation. But besides this use of the word 
“angels” in the Bible, we find the term employed to 
describe any messengers of God, such, for instance, as 
the Old Testament prophets (Isa. 42:19; Haggai 
1:13; Mal. 3:1). The angels of our passage are of 
a unique character, because they are spoken of as ‘‘ The 
seven angels”’ as if there were none others quite like 
them. From the use of the definite article here I take it 
that the seven angels of this passage are the same as 
the seven angels mentioned in the first chapter of the 
book (v. 20), where we read ‘‘ The seven stars 
are the angels of the seven churches.” The seven 
angels of the seven churches were not ruling angels, 
not guardian angels, and not the pastors or bishops of 
the churches, but the churches themselves, made up of 
regenerated men and women of all ages, colours, races, 
considered from the divine viewpoint. The angels of 
the seven churches and the angels of our passage are 
the same in character and office, are men and women 
in the flesh, but men and women made new in heart 
and life by the agency of the Holy Spirit. They are 
Spirit-born human beings. 

The things noted here about these angels are true 


88 BREAKING THE SEALS 


in every respect regarding the Church from the Divine 
side. They are seven in number, signifying their com- 
pleteness and their Divine-human character. IJdeally, 
as in the future actually, the saved of the Lord have 
their complete number, and, as one body, constitute a 
Divine-human institution. These divine messengers 
“stood.” ‘This is the posture of willing obedience and 
ready service. But they “stood before God,” signify- 
ing their right attitude toward God, their right relation 
with God, and God’s justifying approval of them in 
that attitude and relation. All of God’s people are 
eternally justified in His sight. JI am_ persuaded, 
though contrary to the teaching of commentaries gen- 
erally, that the seven angels of the Revelation repre- 
sent the truly saved in the earth in history beginning 
with the first and ending with the second advent 
of Christ. If we be truly born of God we are num- 
bered among the seven angels or the messengers of 
Jehovah. 

3. The third item of interest in our picture is the 
seven trumpets. “And there were given unto them 
seven trumpets.’ ‘There were seven angels and seven 
trumpets. ‘There was no angel without a trumpet. 
What are these trumpets and what do they prefigure? 
This figure is also taken from the Old Testament 
temple service, and hence we must go back to the Old 
Testament for our explanation. The far-reaching 
blast of the Old Testament trumpet was the most 
meaningful figure during those times. In the Old 
Testament the time of the blowing of the trumpet was 
the most important of all times. It was a time when 
men were to give earnest, concentrated, and intelli- 
gent attention, and to bestir themselves accordingly. 
There were different kinds of trumpets under the Jew- 


BREAKING THE SEALS 89 


ish economy. ‘There was first the trumpet of legisla- 
tion when God manifested Himself in righteousness, 
in terrible majesty and power. When God appeared 
on the summit of Sinai, there was “the voice of the 
trumpet exceeding loud,’ so that all the people in the 
camps trembled (Exod. 19: 16). There was a military 
trumpet which summoned the armies of Israel to battle 
against their enemies (Num, 10:9; Jer. 4:19). 
There was also the musical trumpet, like all the 
other trumpets, a wind instrument, which formed 
a part of the temple orchestra (Psa. 98:6; 150: 38). 
This trumpet was never used in the synagogue service, 
but always in the service of the holy sanctuary. In 
addition to these, there was the sacrificial trumpet 
which was blown over the burnt offerings and peace 
offerings while they were being presented, announc- 
ing to the people outside that atonement was being 
made for sin, and peace with God was being estab- 
Pepeda Nut LOc LO Si Mevanma nets 25). Opava ne 
sacrificial trumpet was a testimony concerning forgive- 
ness of sin from God and fellowship, on the ground of 
the blood, with God. Further, there was the royal 
trumpet which was only blown when a new king was 
anointed and crowned. When Solomon was made 
king the trumpet was blown and the shout went up, 
“God save the king” (1 Kings 1: 34, 39; 2 Kings 
9:13). The trumpet of jubilee was also used in Israel, 
but only once in every fifty years. Those who were 
privileged to hear that trumpet were made happy, for 
it proclaimed their liberty (Lev. 25: 8-12). At the 
sound of that trumpet all shackles fell from the arms 
and feet of the prisoners, and all who had been in 
bondage returned to their possessions and their fami- 
lies. During the year of jubilee the people ate of the 


90 BREAKING THE SEALS 


increase of their fields and rejoiced with joy unspeak- 
able. 

There was another trumpet used in Israel, and it 
might be called the seventh month, or October trumpet. 
It was blown for one day only, and that on the first 
day of October, and then the whole day was given up 
to it, and the people generally participated in it 
(Num. 29:1-6). The first day of October was 
the Jewish New Year. That trumpet called the people 
to rest, for on that day they ceased from all servile 
work and kept holy Sabbath. It called them also to 
self-examination, repentance from sin, and consecra- 
tion unto God, and was the announcement of a new 
beginning in their individual, social, spiritual, and na- 
tional life. It is claimed by many that the October 
trumpet was the most significant of them all. 

With these facts before us, what is our conclusion 
concerning the seven trumpets in our chapter? They 
are truly a Jewish figure, and they are not now diffi- 
cult to understand. Are they the trumpets of Revela- 
tion? ‘Then they call us to give heed to the words 
spoken by Jehovah. Are they the instruments of 
music? ‘Then they invite us to prayer, praise and 
worship. Are they the military trumpets? Then they 
call us to battle against the enemies of the Lord and 
His people. Are they the festal trumpets? Then they 
announce a full and final atonement, and peace with 
God established. Are they the royal trumpets? Then 
they proclaim the fact that a new King is on the throne 
and that a new reign has begun. Are they the jubilee 
trumpets? Then they proclaim liberty to the captives, 
wealth to the poor, health to the sick, strength to the 
weak, comfort to the sorrowing, joy to the sad, and 
sight to the blind. Are they the seventh month or 


BREAKING THE SEALS 91 


October trumpets? I think they are, and if so, they 
proclaim a new beginning, which is the new birth, and 
call to self-examination, repentance, and consecration 
in view of that new beginning. ‘Trumpets, especially 
trumpets of this kind, are symbols of testimony. Here 
we have illustrated the Church saved in Christ giving 
forth her testimony in a world of darkness and calling 
for repentance toward God and faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ, in view of solemn, historical, pending, 
and future judgments. What a majestic and sublime 
picture is this!” The reality of which these trumpets 
are the symbol is the full gospel of Jesus Christ which 
He has commissioned His Church to proclaim through- 
out this age. Are we blowing our trumpets? 

4, Another object of great interest here is the 
Angel presiding as a priest. John speaks of him as 
“another angel” or another messenger who is the 
same as the one mentioned in the first and seventh 
chapters (1:1; 7:2). The angel here is the author 
of the Revelation, and the one who sealed the servants 
of God upon their foreheads. A little consideration 
will make plain that the “another angel” of this pas- 
sage is Christ as He now carries on the work of in- 
tercession before the Father. This angel “ came and 
stood at the altar.” He was not always at the altar, 
for He was seen to arrive there, and He did not stand 
there forever. At the opening of the fifth seal (6: 9) 
we read of “ the altar’ which was the brazen altar, the 
altar where the blood was shed, the altar of the sin 
offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering in 
the outer court of the sanctuary. Some tell us that 
the altar here was the golden altar which was in the 
holy place before the throne, or just in front of the 
second veil. There is no good ground for this differ- 


ane 


erect geyser cane 


92 BREAKING THE SEALS 


ence of opinion, for the reason that both the brazen 
and golden altars are symbols in this vision. 

The phrase “the altar” is used five times in this 
book, and invariably it refers to the altar on which 
atonement was made, where justice was symbolically 
satisfied, and where peace was symbolically established 
with God. At this altar we see the sin offering a 
symbol of atonement, the burnt offering a symbol of 
consecration, and the peace offering a symbol of fel- 
lowship, all presented, and all a picture of Christ who 
offered Himself for our sakes without spot unto God. 
The brazen altar in the outer court where the blood 
was shed and where the sinner was reconciled to God 
was first and fundamental in the Jewish economy, and 
it is called “ the altar’ as if it were the only one. It 
formed the foundation and center of the Jewish re- 
ligious system, and hence when it was referred to as 
“ the altar’ the people always understood it to be the 
brazen altar in the outer court. The phrase “the 
golden altar” is used twice in the Revelation (8: 3; 
9:13) and it refers to the altar in the Holy Place, 
just in front of the second veil, opposite the Ark of 
the Covenant. This altar is described in Exodus 
(30: 1-10). On the brazen altar outside all the blood 
was shed, and the fire was kept continually burning; 
on the golden altar inside no blood was shed, and the 
fire was kindled mornings and evenings. As the brazen 
altar in the outer court typified atonement, so the 
golden altar inside typified intercession, prayer, praise, 
and is a prefiguration of Christ through whom our 
prayers and praises ascend to God. 

Now note that this angel is seen first standing at or 
beside “ the altar’? which means the brazen altar, not 
the golden altar. He is first seen in the outer court 


BREAKING THE SEALS 93 


of the world, officiating at the altar of atonement, 
securing forgiveness of sin for the people. This part 
of the picture gives us a glimpse of Christ in the flesh 
on the cross as He atoned in His death for the sins 
of the race. But this divine messenger had an empty 
golden censer, an implement which belonged to the 
Holy of holies, and was used only by the high priest. 
It was customary for the high priest to stand by the 
brazen altar with the empty golden censer in his hand 
while the sacrifice was being consumed. He stood 
there waiting until the fire had consumed the sacrifice 
that he might take the red-hot coals from the grating 
and deposit them in the censer. The fire that consumed 
the sacrifice must also consume the incense in the holy 
place. This angel standing at the altar outside is a 
picture of Christ, in fact He is Christ, undertaking on 
the cross on behalf of men. When the fire had con- 
sumed the sacrifice and the flame had died down, then 
with a small shovel the priest would lift the coals from 
off the altar and deposit them in his censer. After 
having received the coals of fire from the altar grat- 
ing, then there would be given unto him by his asso- 
ciate priests much incense that he might carry both 
into the holy place and burn the incense on the golden 
altar before the Lord, an illustration of our High 
Priest Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son 
of God. Christ has ministered at the brazen altar on 
His cross, and He is now ministering within the Holy 
Place at the golden altar of the throne. Just as that — 
angel was given much incense, so Christ in the presence 
of God is given much prayer and praise by His people. 
Christ is the Angel through Whom all persons, prayers 
and praises have access unto God (Eph. 2:18). It is 
alone through Christ that we offer our prayers and 


94 BREAKING THE SEALS 


praises to God continually (Heb. 18:15). In the 
picture before us the angel only offered the incense 
that was given unto him, no more and no less. 

The object of giving of the much incense to the 
angel was “that he should offer it with the prayers 
of all saints,’ not for the prayers, as if in their stead, 
but in the sense of furthering them and prospering 
them. The prayers themselves were a part of the of- 
fering. The incense gave value to the prayers in God’s 
sight. There is a real offering of incense, and that 
incense is made up of the merits of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. His merits are added to our prayers and 
praises and they make them true prayers and true 
praises before Jehovah. Christ’s merits added to our 
prayers are offered to God as the prayers themselves. 
Christ’s merits, like the incense, are given to the 
prayers, with the prayers, and for the prayers. Christ 
above offering at the golden altar makes our prayers 
successful in the sight of God, and according to the 
passage, the prayers and praises offered unto God are 
not in vain, for it says, “and the smoke of the in- 
cense, which came with the prayers of the saints, as- 
cended up before God out of the angel’s hand.” The 
angel, you will now see, is in the holy place at the 
golden altar; he has passed through the veil, for in- 
cense was never offered in the outer court at the brazen 
altar. Thus we see that the two altars are mentioned 
in this sublime picture. The ascension of the sweet 
vapour or cloud into the presence of God was the 
symbolic announcement that the prayers were heard. 
Through this age much prayer has been offered, and 
the presence of Jesus before the Father makes those 
prayers successful. Those who cry unto God in prayer 
in the name of Jesus do not cry in vain. Jesus 


BREAKING THE SEALS 95 


lives, and is in the Holy Place now making interces- 
sion. 

This angel did another very significant thing. He 
“took the censer and filled it with fire off the altar and 
cast it into the earth.” We first see this angel stand- 
ing at the brazen altar in the outer court. Then we 
follow him through the first veil as he enters the Holy 
Place with his fire-filled golden censer in one hand and 
his much incense in the other hand. Now we see him 
in the outer court again, and going to the brazen altar, 
not to offer sacrifice, but to secure more fire, not to 
carry it within the Holy Place, but to cast it, or scatter 
it, over the face of the earth. Here we have most 
vividly portrayed the first coming of Christ to atone 
for sin, His exaltation to the Father’s right hand to 
save from the power of sin, and His coming again in 
glory unto salvation, apart from sin, for all those 
who look for Him. The sacrifice has been made and 
incense has been offered, and as a result of both the 
fire comes down to earth. What does this fire signify? 
Some tell us that it bespeaks wrath, torture, and de- 
struction of the wicked. Those who tell us this say 
that fire is the exclusive and common figure of divine 
terribleness toward the guilty, the chief torment of 
the lost. If the act of the Messenger be a prophecy of 
what will take place at the second advent, then the 
casting of the fire in the earth is a prefiguration of 
the wrath of God on men in that day. But it is not 
true that fire is the exclusive and common figure of 
the wrath of God. Fire, and especially the altar fire, 
is made the symbol of the Holy Spirit in the Bible 
(Matt. 3:11, 12; Acts 2:3). ‘What fire is in the 
natural world, God the Holy Ghost is in the spiritual 
world of men. Fire warms, beautifies, protects, 


96 BREAKING THE SEALS 


purifies, glorifies, consumes, and rapidly spreads. It 
was when the atonement was finished, and the incense 
with the prayers of the saints presented that the fire 
was cast into the earth. The Holy Spirit is here on 
earth inhabiting the Church and working through the 
Church convicting men of sin as the result of what 
Christ did on the cross and what He is doing now in 
the presence of the Father. If Christ had not been 
glorified by death on the cross, resurrection from the 
grave and ascension to the glory the Holy Spirit would 
not have come down (John 7: 39; 14: 6; 16: 7; Acts 
2:83). Iam persuaded that the fire in this vision is 
the Holy Spirit Who has been sent down to earth as 
a result of what Christ did on the cross and is now 
doing on the throne. 

There is one concluding item in this vision. When 
the angel, who is Christ, cast the holy fire into the 
earth, “there were voices and thunderings and light- 
nings.and an earthquake.’”’ It does not say that the fire 
cast into the earth produced or became the cause of 
the voices, thunderings, lightnings, and the earthquake. 
We are not even told what time elapsed between the 
two events. These are signs of God’s judgments upon 
His enemies. We will remember that we saw those 
signs in the fourth chapter (v. 5) which told of 
God’s judgments on His foes in the old dispensation. 
At the sounding of the seventh trumpet (11:19) we 
will see these signs again. That will be the time of 
the judgment when wrath will be visited on the un- 
believing. The voices, thunders, lightnings, and earth- 
quake speak of God’s judgments upon His foes 
throughout this age, culminating in the final judgment 
which will take place by and by. No age has been 
without these judgments, as no age has been without 


BREAKING THE SEALS 97 


foretokens of that great day. We have these judg- 
ments on the face of the earth at the present, and 
hence the call to self-examination, repentance, and con- 
secration that is to follow in the blowing of the trum- 
pets. 

Thus we see many great and precious truths in this 
vision, and Christ our High Priest is the center of them 
all. There is the half-hour silence which tells us 
that the atonement is finally and fully made. There 
are the seven angels or messengers of God who tell us 
of the Church called and saved of God for specific 
ministry of evangelization in the earth. Then there 
are the seven trumpets which tell us of testimony to 
be borne by the Church. And further, there is “ an- 
other angel’ who speaks to us of Christ on the cross, 
on the throne, and sending down the Holy Spirit in 
answer to His intercessory work. And then we have 
judgment of the age through which the world is pass- 
ing, and culminating in the great judgment yet to 
come. Let us always give Christ His proper place and 
respond to the trumpet call for repentance toward 
God, and faith in Him Who loved us, Who died in our 
stead, and Who now lives for us at the right hand of 
the Father. 


Vil 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 
REVELATION 8: 6-12 


‘ N Y E come now to the actual Sounding of the 
Trumpets. “ And the seven angels that had 
the seven trumpets prepared themselves to 
sound.’ We must keep in mind that the seven angels 
or messengers represent the saved element in the visi- 
ble Church, and the seven trumpets signify the testi- 
mony the saved people of the earth are called upon to 
deliver. But we are told that those angels “ prepared 
themselves to sound.” In the case of those angels 
actually, as John saw them in the picture, in what did 
their preparation consist? In that preparation there 
doubtless was the erecting of the figure, the standing 
upon the feet, grasping the instrument, the bending of 
the arm, and adjusting of the head, the inflating of 
the lungs, the swelling of the cheeks, and the pressing 
of the instruments firmly to the mouth. All of this, 
and much more, were necessary to the production of 
a clear, far-reaching, and reverberating sound. With- 
out that preparation there could not be the intelligent 
and effective blowing of the trumpets. 

As these angels prepared themselves to sound, so 
the priests and the people in olden times had to pre- 
pare themselves to sound. ‘They prepared themselves 
ceremonially, by self-examination, according to the law 
of Moses, by repentance from sin, and by holy con- 
secration unto God. They could not sound the trumpet 
without this preparation. As the apocalyptic mes- 

98 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 99 


sengers prepared themselves actually, and the priests 
and people of old time prepared themselves ceremoni- 
ally, so the individual, the group, or the Church must 
prepare themselves spiritually to sound the trumpet of 
testimony. With the saved on earth, there must be 
separation from the world, cleansing from sin, a fuller 
knowledge of God and His Word, and the inflating 
of the whole personality with the presence and power 
of the Holy Spirit. The reason so many of God’s peo- 
ple have no testimony for the world, is because they 
have not gotten themselves ready by prayer, Bible 
study, holy living, and above and through all the in- 
filling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the 
Divine breath that makes speech possible, eloquent, and 
effective. Let us all prepare ourselves to sound. 

1. In the sounding of the first trumpet we have a 
call to repentance in view of the judgment upon the 
earth. ‘And the first angel sounded, and there fol- 
lowed hail and fire mingled with blood, and it was 
cast into the earth; and a third part of the earth was 
burnt up, and a third part of the trees was burnt up 
and all the green grass was burnt up.” The earth is 
mentioned eighty times in this book. At first God 
created the earth by His own power and wisdom with- 
out the aid of preéxisting material, prepared it for the 
abode of men, planted it with trees for shade, food, 
and ornament to the eye, spread over it a mantle of 
green, and then pronounced it very good. Every tree 
of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good 
and evil man was allowed to eat, while grass covered 
the earth for his cattle and herbs for their service. 
All nature was to minister to the needs of man, and in 
cultivating the ground he was to find easy and happy 
employment. But sin came in, and thorns and thistles 


\ 


‘ora, 


100 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


sprang up on every hand to pierce and wound the flesh 
of man. Cultivating the soil became a burden, and a 
fruitful field became a barren wilderness which would 
only produce by constant, patient and often disap- 
pointed toil. This, doubtless, is the thought that lies 
back of the message of the first trumpet. The punish- 
ment of the world was drawn down upon the world by 
itself, by it having risen in opposition against Him 
Who prepared the earth for the blessing of mankind. 
In this vision there is a terrible storm with hail and 
fire, the two opposite extremes, mingled with blood 
which speaks of death. It is claimed by some that one 
of the plagues of Egypt was in the mind of the Seer 
when he had this vision (Ex. 9: 28-25). It is difficult 
to say definitely what is meant by “the third part.” 
It was the “third part” of the earth, and “ the third 
part”’ of the trees that were burned, charred and con- 
sumed. It would seem that partial destruction only 
is illustrated by this figure. In the Book of the Reve- 
lation and also in Jeremiah and Ezekiel where the 
earth is used as a symbol, it represents the Hebrew 
race as a kingdom, and the trees, their gréat men, and 
the green grass, the glory of that kingdom, namely, 
its religion. In the destruction of the Hebrew king- 
dom, we have the burning of the earth, and in the 
downfall of their great men, we have the destroying 
of the third part of the trees, and the consuming of 
the green grass. Israel was destroyed nationally, po- 
litically, socially, and religiously in 70 A. D., and yet 
Israel lives, works, and contributes her part to the life 
of the race. There has not been, and there will not be 
total destruction of the Hebrew race in the earth. In 
view of what happened to the earth when man first 
rebelled against God, in view of what happened in 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 101 


Egypt when there was that terrible electric storm, and 
in view of what happened to the Jewish Kingdom 
when it rejected their Messiah, this first trumpet says 
in clear unmistakable tones, ‘ Repent, and believe the 
Gospel.” | 

2. The Blowing of the Second Trumpet is a call 
to repentance in view of the judgment inflicted upon 
the sea, “ And the second angel sounded, and as it 
were, a great mountain burning with fire, was cast 
into the sea: and the third part of the sea became 
blood; and the third part of the creatures which were 
in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of 
the ships were destroyed.” The sea is mentioned 
twenty-one times in this book. It is represented as 
having been created by God, filled with creatures which 
have life, and being visited by Satan, the prince of the 
power of the air. The study of the sea as presented 
in this book is most fascinating, and we discover that 
there is something more than the real sea intended by 
the illustration. The word “sea” is used to describe 
the gathering of the waters encompassing the earth, or 
what we call in a more or less definite sense, “ the 
ocean,” especially that part of it called the Mediter- 
ranean Sea. John was familiar with the Mediter- 
ranean Sea in all its moods. At the time of the vision, 
the sea surrounded Patmos, his island home. He was 
afraid of the sea, as were the Jewish people then quite 
generally. The land of Palestine owed much to the 
great sea then, as it owes much to the great sea now. 
During the hot months of summer, a soft breeze from 
the sea at dawn fans all the seaside face of the central 
mountain range; at sunset the chilled air slips down 
the slopes, and the higher strata drifts toward the up- 
lands charged with priceless moisture, giving rise to 


102 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


refreshing dews which make the Palestine mornings 
so sweet. The “ great sea” or the “hinder sea” is 
an absolute necessity to the life of the lands where 
Jesus lived. 

When used as a figure in the Scripture, the sea is 
most significant. For ages among the ancients, the 
sea was the emblem of that which is mysterious, pow- 
erful, dangerous, and, when ferocious, as in storm, 
set forth tumultuous commotion and turbulent rage. In 
_ apocalyptic imagery, as here, the sea stands for the 
populus, the mere unorganized mass of mankind, hu- 
. manity in its natural unrestrained state and condition. 
It is a picture of the human family, apart from Christ, 
throughout this age, under the domination of the evil 
one, restless, and at times turbulent, and often dan- 
gerous. 

In the vision that followed the blast of the second 
trumpet, the Seer also beheld a burning mass, like 
that of a huge mountain, fall from the heaven above, 
and plunge into the sea. What was this burning moun- 
tain-like appearance? There are two such mountains 
mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures. ‘The first 
one is spoken of as a “ destroying mountain” which 
afterward became “a burnt mountain” (Jer. 51: 25, 
26). That mountain was Babylon, and the earth de- 
stroyed by it was the Hebrew Kingdom. Babylon was 
not a burning mountain as here, but a destroying 
mountain, which, by the judgment of God, was dashed 
upon the rocks, and reduced to dust and ashes. The, 
other and only real burning and smoking mountain 
mentioned in the Old Testament was Sinai. When 
God descended on Mt. Sinai, ‘ the mountain burned 
with fire unto the heart of heaven with darkness, 
clouds, and thick darkness” (Deut, 4:11), When 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 103 


the law was given by the Lord from the summit of 
that mount, we read, “and Mt. Sinai, the whole of 
it smoked because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; 
and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a 
furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (Ex. 
19:18). In writing to the Hebrew Christians (Heb. 
12: 18-31), and those people fully understood the ref- 
erence, the apostle said, “For we are not come unto 
the mount that might be touched, and that burned with 
fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness and tempest, and 
the sound of his trumpet and the voice of words; which 
voice they that heard entreated that the words should 
not be spoken to them any more: for they could not 
endure that which was commanded, and if so much 
as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned, 
or thrust through with a dart: and so terrible was the 
sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.” 
In the giving of the law, there was the appearance of 
fire, smoke, darkness, blackness, tempest, and the 
blowing of the trumpet loud and long, while at the 
same time, there was the sound of mysterious voices. 
All of these things are represented in our vision and 
chapter. What we have in this mountain-like burning 
mass is the proclamation of the law of Moses from 
Mt. Sinai, and the preaching and the teaching of 
that law in the earth from that day to this. It is im- 
possible not to think that John had Mt. Sinai in his 
mind when he heard the blast of the second trumpet. 
But John saw this burning mass plunged into the 
sea. It is somewhat strange that the falling, burning 
meteoric masses always make for the water. Doubtless 
John saw many of them shoot through the air. We 
will remember that the sea represents the nations of the 
earth, or the social order as we have it now. When 


104 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


that burning mass plunged into the sea, three wonder- 
ful effects followed. The sea was partially turned 
into blood, the apt symbol of death, either physical, 
moral, spiritual, or judicial. In their natural state 
the law of Moses finds men dead, and under the con- 
demnation of death. By the Law, people learn of the 
infinite holiness of God, and their own terrible sinful- 
ness. Before the Law, the whole world of mankind, 
apart from Christ, is guilty and under the Divine 
curse (Rom. 3: 19; Gal. 3:10). Not only was the sea 
partially turned to blood, but “there died the third 
part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they 
that had life.” These creatures, or created things 
which died were only such as “ had life.” There were 
creatures in the sea that did not have life, and yet 
they were living. The word for “life” here is not 
the term used generally to denote the lower and 
beastial life, but the word that describes the higher 
and renovated nature of human beings. This is a hint 
to the students that the creatures in this dream rep- 
resent persons, but persons who have had their na- 
tures changed by Divine grace. In the Gospel by Luke 
(5: 1-10) the creatures of the sea are made to repre- 
sent men generally. In the Gospel by Matthew 
(13: 47-50) they illustrate true and false Christians 
together in the draw-net of the kingdom. 

So these creatures who died by reason of the burn- 
ing mountain mass plunging into the sea, are persons. 
But what persons? At this point, for the sake of 
future clearness, we ought to notice that there are 
four classes of “dwellers” in the Book of the Reve- 
lation, and they include the whole human race, past, 
present, and future, dead and living. First, there are 
those “under the earth,’ or the Hadean dwellers 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 105 


(5: 3,13). They are the lost who died without Christ. 
Then, there are the heaven dwellers (12: 12; 18: 6). 
The heaven dwellers are the saved in Christ whether 
living or dead. Those who dwell in heaven in the 
Book of the Revelation are the same as those who are 
in the “ heavenly places” in the Book of the Ephesians 
(Eph. 1:3). The believers are a heavenly people, and 
strangers and pilgrims in the earth. This book also 
speaks of earth dwellers, and they are mentioned the 
Inosbairequentiy.(37) 105529362. 107412 105,182 8) 14. 
14:6; 17:8). Twice over we are told that those who 
dwell on the earth are the people living who have not 
their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (13: 8; 
17:8). The earth dwellers are the unregenerated 
of the world, whether they be Jews or Gentiles. But 
the Book also speaks of the sea dwellers. In the pas- 
sage before us, we read about the creatures in the sea 
which have souls. In another passage (12:12) we 
read about the inhabiters of the sea, upon whom a 
Divine woe is pronounced, and down to whom the 
devil has gone with great wrath. In another pas- 
sage, we read about every living soul in the sea dying 
(16:3). Those under the earth are the dead out of 
Christ. Those who dwell in heaven, are those who 
have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, 
whether living or asleep. Those who dwell upon the 
earth are the unconverted of all classes at any time 
living, and those who dwell in the sea are the Jews 
scattered throughout, and held in bondage to the Gen- 
tile nations. They are the ones upon whom has come 
the great wrath, by reason of their treatment of the 
Messiah. 

Our passage says that a “third part,” or a portion 
of the living creatures in the sea, even those who had 


106 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


the renovated life, died. Death here is not the phys- 
ical, but the spiritual death. It is the death to self, 
sin, law, the world, and all things contrary to the mind 
of God resulting in a resurrection into a new life. 
There are a certain elect number of the Jews in the 
midst of the nations, who, on hearing and receiving 
the law of the Lord, die in Christ, and live again unto 
Him. This has been going on throughout the age in 
which we are living. The creatures of the sea who 
had souls and died, are the saved Jews of this dis- 
pensation. We get glimpses of them again and again 
throughout this symbolic book. 

John also said that “the third part of the ships 
were destroyed.” These, of course, were not real 
ships but ships seen in a vision or dream. ‘The Old 
Testament prophets and psalmists drew many of their 
pictures from seafaring life. They referred fre- 
quently to the merchant ships of the ancients, and 
often personalized them. ‘This led them to paint an 
eye on each side of the bow, or to carve symbols, like 
those of the two heroes, Castor and Pollux, in conspic- 
uous places on their floats. At the time of John’s 
banishment to the Island of Patmos, and for a con- 
siderable period afterward, there was great destruc- 
tion of ships along the Mediterranean coast, with great 
loss of property and human beings. Perhaps John 
actually saw some of the ships destroyed. Ships car- 
ried much grain, gold, silver, brass, iron, and many 
people from one land to another. Those who gave 
themselves to seafaring life amassed great wealth 
thereby, and hence the ships became the apt symbols 
of commerce, trade, wealth, and international rela- 
tionships. John saw the ships destroyed in his dream. 
They were ruined by reason of being broken, disabled, 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 107 


and sunk in the depths of the sea with great loss. 
The law of the Lord when applied to individual lives, 
to the lives of groups, or, if you like, the whole social 
order, is destructive of many old relationships, and is 
constructive of many new relationships. The second 
trumpet blast is a call to Repentance in view of the 
judgment upon the sea. 

38. The Sounding of the Third Trumpet is a call 
to Repentance in view of Judgment upon the Water. 
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great 
star from heaven burning as it were a lamp, and it 
fell upon a third part of the rivers, and upon the foun- 
tains of water: and the name of the star is called 
wormwood, and the third part of the waters became 
wormwood: and many died of the waters, because they 
were made bitter.’’ In the first part of what followed 
from this trumpet blast, there was seen falling from 
heaven a torch-like burning star. This illustration was 
also taken from the Old Testament, for in Isaiah 
(14: 12) we read, “ How art thou fallen from heaven, 
O Lucifer, son of the morning?” This passage is 
evidently a reference to the fall of Satan, who, as 
prince of the world system, is the real, though invisi- 
ble ruler of all the world powers. It is also a reference 
to the fall of the Babylonian Empire, and the empires 
that should succeed Babylon. Satan, by self-will, fell 
from heaven, and at that moment sin began in the 
earth. ‘There are two individual stars mentioned in 
the Book of the Revelation, the one being a fixed 
star, called the Bright and Morning Star (2: 28; 
22:16). ‘The fixed, brilliant Morning Star is Christ 
Himself; the falling star is Satan, who fell at the 
beginning and has been falling ever since, in the lives 
of men and of nations. In view of the fall of Satan, 


108 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


and in view of the fall of world empires, by this trum- 
pet blast, men and women who know not God are 
called to repentance. The star that John saw falling 
from heaven, and burning, fell into the running rivers, 
and upon the springing fountains with the result that 
the waters became like wormwood, bitter, and poison- 
ous. Men drank of those waters, and died. This pic- 
ture, too, is taken from the Old Testament (Jer. 
9:15): for the prophet in pronouncing judgment upon 
the rebellious people said, “ Therefore thus saith the 
Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; behold, I will feed 
them, even this people with wormwood, and give them 
water of gall to drink.” Wormwood was a bitter, in- 
toxicating and most poisonous herb. Used freely, it 
would produce convulsions, paralysis and death. It 
was nearly always fatal. The falling, burning star, 
possessed the quintessence of all bitterness and poison. 
It fell upon the rivers and fountains and made the 
waters bitter, poisonous, and death dealing. Rivers 
and fountains of fresh pure waters are often men- 
tioned in this book, and stand for the fullness of God’s 
blessing and truth as revealed in the Gospel of His 
grace. These rivers and fountains of truth have been 
made bitter and poisonous by error, and immorality. 
Think of Romanism, which is Christianity paganized! 
Think of Mohammedanism which has an element of 
Christianity in it, but oh, how deadly to moral and 
spiritual life in its effects. Think of Protestantism, 
charged and surcharged as it is with error of all kinds, 
leading blind men and women to death and damnation 
instead of to life and salvation in Christ. There is not 
a truth of Christ but what has been perverted by error. 
In view of this, the call is Repent, Receive and Believe 
the Gospel. 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 109 


4. The Fourth Trumpet is a call to repentance in 
view of judgment upon the sun, moon and stars, “ And 
the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the 
sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and 
the third part of the stars; so as the third part of 
them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third 
part of it, and the night likewise.”’ In the first trumpet, 
we have judgment upon the earth, trees, and green 
grass; in the second, we have judgment on the sea, the 
fishes, and the ships; in the third, on the running rivers, 
and springing fountains; this trumpet lifts our thought 
skyward to the heavenly bodies. We are made to look 
upon their partial obscuration. Jesus said (Luke 
21:25) that throughout this age, “ There shall be 
signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars,” and 
“upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity.” 
He also predicted for this age (Matt. 24:29) that 
the sun “shall be darkened, and the moon shall not 
give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, 
and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken.” Peter 
said in his sermon (Acts 2: 20) that before the great 
and notable day of the Lord’s Second Coming, “‘ The 
sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into 
blood.” Peter was repeating what was predicted by 
Joel and the Saviour. What we have under this trum- 
pet is exactly what the prophets foretold, Jesus pre- 
dicted, and the Apostle Peter declared would come to 
pass in this dispensation leading up to the consumma- 
tion of the age. Many a political sun has been dark- > 
ened; many an ecclesiastical moon has ceased to give » 
its light; and many political and religious stars have 
fallen from their orbits in this dispensation ; world 
government again and again has been overturned; ec- 
clesiastical systems and institutions have risen and 


110 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


fallen, and many leaders in both the nations and the 
Church have risen to honour, to high position, and 
have fallen and disgraced that for which they stood; 
they ceased to shine in the night time of the world 
and the Church’s history. The age in which we live 
has never been without the judgments we have here 
symbolically described. 

Thus we have the present-day significance of the 
four first trumpets. Sin on earth, whether it be in- 
dividual, social, ecclesiastical, or governmental, has its 
voice calling for revenge in heaven. Judgment against 
it may not always follow speedily but it will surely 
fall. Ahab’s queen may flourish in her personal, so- 
cial, religious, and national sin for many years, but 
finally the horses trample her body in the streets, and 
the dogs gnaw, and crunch her royal bones. Long was 
the old world left to pursue its sins, make fun of the 
preaching of righteousness, and to fling defiance in the 
face of the gracious God: but presently the promised 
judgment broke upon the earth of men, and their dead 
bodies dashed upon each other as they sank amidst the 
billows of God’s righteous anger. Trampled and dis- 


honoured blood will assert its rightful place, and, 


Christ will not suffer the smiting, taunts, and insults 
of the world forever. The judgments under these 
trumpets have been in the world increasingly for ages, 
and they are with us to-day, giving us foregleams of 
the terrible judgment yet to come, and their clear and 
insistent call is both to the cold Church, and to the 
condemned world, ‘ Repent, and believe the Gospel.” 


VIll 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued) 
REVELATION 8: 13-9: 21 


OUR of the trumpets have sounded, and there 
H is a line of demarkation drawn by which each 
series of judgments is divided into four and 

three. We noticed this line of demarkation under the 
breaking of the seals. Here it is more distinct than it 
was there. In this case, the line is drawn by an alto- 
gether new, but most significant vision. John says, 
“And I saw, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven 
saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them 
that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices 
of the three angels who are yet to sound” (v. 138, 
R. V.). Inthe Authorized Version we have the word 
“angel,” but that is not supported by the ancient manu- 
scripts. The Revised Version gives us the word 
“eagle,” not “angel.” John both heard and saw this 
eagle flying through the upper air, and he was calling 
with an intelligent, great voice, the pronouncement of 
certain woes, and thereby uttering an exclamation of 
grief. These woes were for the inhabitants of the 
earth who are the ungodly or the unregenerate of the 
social order. The eagle was seen flying through the 
midst of heaven, that is, the heaven of the atmosphere, 
the part of the sky where the sun reaches the meridian. 
In such a position as that, the eagle would be an object 
conspicuous to all. That eagle was visible, audible, 
heavenly, and intelligent, showing that he represented 

III 


112 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


wise, human instrumentalities of some kind. With his 
great and far-reaching voice, he was solemnly giving 
warning of the judgments past, present, and future. 

The eagle has some very significant characteristics, 
and by noting these together with what the Old Testa- 
ment has to say about the eagle, we will be helped to 
a clear understanding of the symbol before us. The 
eagle is, first of all, a kingly bird. It stands pre- 
eminently at the head of the feathered families, as the 
lion among the beasts. Many nations, on account of 
the royalty of this bird, have chosen it as their govern- 
mental insignia. The eagle is also famous for its ex- 
alted, and exalting instincts. They prefer the heights 
both when at rest, and when flying. They build their 
nests among the highest crags, and outstrip all other 
birds in their lofty ascensions. It is said that the eagle 
is the only bird that can look the sun in the face. The 
eagle is famous also for its keen, far-reaching sight. 
“The eagle eye” is a common proverb. They have a 
quick, clear, penetrating vision. So quick and sharp 
is the sight of the eagle that it is almost impossible to 
surprise or deceive it. The eagle is known for its 
strength. Its swiftness and power are so astonishing ' 
that the ancients used it as the symbol of omnipresence, 
and omnipotence. 

John saw and heard a great eagle flying through 
heaven, and warning the earth dwellers of coming 
judgment. That was not a real eagle that he saw, but 
the image of one in his dream. That eagle, though, 
represented a great reality. It was not a rapacious 
bird hastening to pounce upon its prey, but an intelli- 
gent heavenly messenger, warning the guilty of pend- 
ing judgment. In the Old Testament, the eagle is used 
as a symbol several times. In two places (Ex. 19: 4; 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 113 


Deut. 32: 11) God Himself is represented as the Par- 
ent Eagle, and His people are described as young eagles 
whom He feeds, upbears, and teaches to fly, and rise 
to Himself. In this very book (12: 14) God, Jehovah, 
is spoken of as the Great Eagle. Under the fourth 
seal, the eagle who said, “‘ Go,” is Christ, and hence 
we see again that what God Jehovah is in the Old 
Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ is in the New Testa- 
ment. The symbol of Christ in the fourth Gospel is 
the eagle, and the symbol of Christ in the Book of the 
Revelation is the eagle. But the two different aspects 
of Christ as presented in these two books are quite 
widely contrasted. In the Gospel by John, we have 
Christ in His Divine Majesty; in the Book of the Rev- 
elation, we have Christ in His Judicial Majesty, 


throughout this age. The eagle of this vision repre- © 


sents Christ primarily in His royalty, power, intelli- 
gence, and quick, far-seeing vision. 

But did that flying, heavenly eagle prefigure Christ 
personally, or representatively, as set forth in His 
elect? Israel in the wilderness, three and a half mil- 
lion strong, was spoken of as eagles (Ex. 19:4). 
Those who wait upon the Lord were spoken of, in 
Isaiah’s time, as young eagles who mount upon wings 
(40: 30, 31). Some of the old fathers thought and 
spoke of the elect in Christ as eagles. Chrysostom said, 
“The congregated eagles are the assembly of the 
saints.” Origen declared, “Christians are compared 
to eagles because they partake of the royalty of 
Christ.” Jerome affirmed, ‘“‘ Eagles are the saints 
whose youth is renewed (Psa. 103: 5), and who, ac- 
cording to the saying of Isaiah (40: 31), mount up 
with wings as eagles, that they may ascend to Christ.” 
The consecrated people of God are like eagles because 


a pint 
Pants 


— 


114 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


they love the heights. It is their constant desire to look 
the Sun in the face, and the nearer they are to Him, 
the happier they are in heart. The “ One Eagle” that 
John saw in his vision is the Parent Eagle of which 
the people of God are the offspring. That Eagle stands 
for the Church of God in her spiritual sphere over 
the earth, warning. the earth intelligently, and with 
grief in her heart, of judgment, past, present, and fu- 
ture. 

This brings us to the Sounding of the last three 
trumpets. They are quite different from the four 
preceding trumpets. Under the first four trumpets 
the judgments announced fell only upon physical 
nature. The first judgment smote the land, that is, 
the land of Palestine, representing the Jews, the trees, 
and the grass. ‘The second smote the sea, the fishes, 
and the ships. The third judgment smote the foun- 
tains, the wells, and the rivers, and the fourth partially 
obscured the sun, moon, and stars from shining upon 
the world. All of these trumpets are called to Re- 
pentance from sin to God, in view of these terrible 
historic and future expressions of God’s righteous 
anger. Now what about the following trumpets? 

5. The Fifth Trumpet is a Call to Repentance in 
View of the Power, Malignity and Universality of 
Moral Evil in the Farth (9: 1-12). I ask the student 
to keep his Bible in hand while studying this remark- 
able vision. ‘There are several things to notice, the 
star, the bottomless pit, the smoke out of the bottom- 
less pit, and the unnatural locusts that come out of the 
smoke, the authority of the locusts themselves, and the 
king who ruled over them. As for the star, John said, 
according to the Revised Version, “‘ And the fifth angel 
sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen, and 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 115 


there was given to him the key of the abyss.” John 
did not see the star falling, but beheld it after it had 
fallen. He does not tell us when, how nor where it 
fell. He only knew that it had fallen sometime out 
of the heavenly sphere, and that it fell into the earth. 
Under the third trumpet, he saw the star in the process 
of falling, and in that process, it burned and flared like 
a mighty torch. These two stars are the one and same 
star, in the process of falling, and having fallen. Some 
think that this star represents an eminent bishop in the 
Christian Church, such as Boniface, the third bishop of 
Rome, who assumed the title of Universal Bishop, by 
the grace of the Emperor, who, being a usurper and 
tyrant in the state, allowed Boniface to be so in the 
church, as the reward of his flattery. I do not think 
that this star represents any human individual whether 
political or religious. We read of the angels that 
sinned whom God did not spare (2 Peter 2:4). 
Among them was one of special dignity and power, 
the leader and head of the rest, named “the great 
dragon, that old serpent called the devil and satan” 
(Rev. 12:9). Hence, we read elsewhere of the devil 
and his angels (Matt. 25:41). There are then falling, 
and fallen stars of a spiritual sort, and one of par- 
ticular distinction answering to the description given in 
the passage before us. The devil is the one who is 
represented by this fallen star. “He fell, but we know 
not where. He has fallen locally, morally, and in 
every other sense. He has been cast down from the 
heaven of purity and glory, and though not yet con- 
signed to hell, he has his empire here upon the earth. 
The Saviour referred to this when He said, “‘ I beheld 
Satan as lightning fallen from heaven” (Luke 10: 18). 
Whatever that fall of Satan is, whether moral, local, 


od 


pegs ME Se 


116 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


voluntary, or the result of force, it includes a fixed, 
malignant determination for mischief, and overflow- 
ing of hate toward God and the children of men. 

To this fallen star, the devil, was given the key of 
the bottomless pit. The key in Scripture is always 
the symbol of authority and ability. Christ alone has 
the keys of death and of Hades. He wrenched them 
from the grasp of the devil when He came forth into 
resurrection life (Rev. 1:18). The devil now has 
the key of the bottomless abyss. The devil having 
ceased to be the servant of God, became the enemy of 
God; and by the sovereign permission of God, who had 
taken from him the keys of the nether world, he be- 
came the turnkey, to let loose the powers of hell against 
God, Christ, and His Church in the earth. 
| The devil, as the fallen star, opened the bottomless 
_ abyss, and that doubtless by the Divine sovereign per- 
} mission. The bottomless pit is mentioned seven times 

in the Book of the Revelation (9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17: 8; 
20: 1,3). The political anti-christ ascends out of the 
bottomless pit (11:7; 17:8). The devil himself is 
ultimately bound and consigned to the bottomless pit 
(20:1, 3). What is the bottomless pit, and where 
is it? I do not know. I cannot conceive of this 
figure describing a place. It is easy enough to imagine 
something of this-kind, “a lower deep still threatening 
, to devour me opens wide.” As soon as one attempts 
\to suppose a physical reality corresponding to this im- 
agination, he falls into éefidless difficulty. My impres- 
‘sion is that we have here a picture of moral character. 
/Whatever may be the reason, it is true that righteous- 
‘ness is associated not only with light, but with height, 
and evil is associated not only with darkness, but with 
depth. Joseph Cook spoke of the fact that holiness 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 117 


seems to be naturally associated with the power to rise, 
and that vice and crime render the spirit heavy and 
sodden, and that this exaltation, or downward drag, 
are communicated by the spirit to the body. Evil 
beings belong in a pit, but beings who persist in evil 
grow more evil. It is one of the terrible results of 
sin that it becomes more powerful with each hour’s 
supremacy. This is a universal experience of men. 
One thing we can say definitely, there is a world of 
being, and of darkness upon which man has never 
looked. There is a bottomless pit of moral evil which 
the demons know, and concerning which they besought 
the Saviour that He would not send them into it. It 
is a damp, dark, and terrible prison in which all evil 
has its origin and inspiration. Satan knows of that 
world, and has brought forth its malignant spirits to 
work pain and death in the earth around us. 

Not only have we here the falling star, the devil, 
and the abyss, or bottomless pit, but we also have the 
smoke ascending out of that pit. As soon as the mouth 
of the pit was opened, there issued from it a thick 
black smoke, as if from a great furnace, and that thick 
black smoke filled the air and obscured the sun. The 
smoke that John saw was smoke in a dream or vision, 
but it stood for a terrible reality, ; a reality this world 
has experienced and willéxperience increasingly to 
the end. The appearance of that smoke from the bot- 
tomless pit told that hell was let loose on the earth, 
and that there was fo htitnan hand that could stay its 
power. This smoke darkened the sun from the earth. 
The demons are the powers of darkness, and hell is © 
the place and condition of darkness. The devil carries | 
on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by con- © 
fusing the thoughts of men, by obscuring light and 


118 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


knowledge and promoting ignorance and error. He 
first deceives men and then destroys them. Wretched 
souls follow the devil in the dark, being led captive by 
him at his will. The air of the spiritual realm is now 
filled with the smoke of error so much so that the face 
of the Sun of Righteousness is almost totally obscured 
from twelve hundred. million souls. 

Out of the smoke there came a great and quickly 
multiplying swarm of unnatural or supernatural lo- 
custs. This part of the vision is coloured by the 
prophecy of Joel (2: 1-10), and one of the plagues of 
\ Egypt (Ex. 10: 12-25). ‘These unnatural locusts rep- 
\ resent the devil’ Ss ae in promoting superstition, 
‘all other forms of evil. “ane fact, “these locusts repre- 
' sent the evils themselves, and their description of those 
evils is absolutely true to fact. They had crowned 
heads which set forth their authority to do evil; they 
had faces like men which speak of their intelligence; 
they had long, and flowing hair like that of women 
which speak of fascinating immoral attractiveness; 
they had teeth like the teeth of lions which illustrate 
their cruel ferocity. They had breastplates of iron 
which symbolize the fact that they were practically 
invulnerable; and in flight, the sound of their wings 
was as the sound of many chariots, showing that they 
were terrorizing. They also had tails like those of 
scorpions and stings in them, which prefigure their 
power to make secret and surprise attacks. These lo- 
custs were unnatural; they were supernatural. Evil in 
the earth is not natural; it is supernatural. It is not 
a part of human nature; it is below human nature and 
against human nature. It has come from the nether 
world, and its tendency is to the nether world. This 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 119 


is truly a perfect symbolic description of general evil \ 
as it appears in the human family. Evil of allkinds | 


is rampant in the earth to-day. Behind it, there is 
intelligence, authority, and in it there is attractiveness, 


t 


ali 
eer 


cruelty, and, in dealing with it, we find that it is prac- | 


tically invulnerable and terrorizing. Evil is the cause 
of all pain and death in the human family to-day. 

We are glad that the power of evil in the world 
is limited. That, too, is illustrated in our picture, for 
it was commanded the locusts that they should not 
hurt the grass, any green thing, nor the trees, but only 
those men who did not have the seal of God on their 
foreheads. The unsealed ones referred to are the un- 
converted ones in the earth to-day, whether they be 
Jews or Gentiles. There is only one way of escape 
from the supernatural locusts of evil, and that is by 
being eternally sealed unto salvation in Christ, by God 
the Spirit. These locusts were not allowed to kill these 
men, but only to torment them with the torment like 
that given to men by the scorpion, when it strikes a 
man. ‘The pain from the sting of the scorpion though 
not generally fatal is; pérhapse the inténsest that any 


Bete 


itself. This insect™also is the most difficult to be 
guarded against, if they can be warded off at all, be- 
cause they fly where they please, dart through the air, 
and dwell in the darkness. How much like evil is the 
scorpion! But thank God even the scorpion can be, 
and is, conquered. Sin loses its power to inflict pain 
the moment the soul takes refuge in Christ by faith. 
The period of time during which the locusts have 
power is spoken of here as “ five months.” Some say 
that this is the period of time in the year during which 


120 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


the locusts carry on their ravages. But proof of this 
is wanting. We are sure that no single generation of 
natural locusts lasts for five months. Their lifetime 
is much shorter than this. The locusts of our vision 
, are not natural. They are unnatural. Five is a broken 
| ten, telling of a period of time that is broken and 
' troublous.. This period gives us the time limit of the 
| power of evil in the earth, beginning with the fall of 
Satan, and ending with the coming of the Lord in 
glory. The judgment of evil in the earth has its lim- 
its, and one day it will be utterly destroyed from the 
face of the globe, and righteousness will cover the 
earth as the waters cover the sea. 

These locusts have a king whom they obey. Earthly 
locusts, we are distinctly told, have no king (Prov. 
30:27). This king is the fallen star or Satan him- 
self. He is the chief of all the powers of darkness. 
His name as given here is a description which shows 
his far-reaching power. It is given both in Hebrew 
and Greek, showing that his authority for evil reaches 
both to Jews and Gentiles. His name is Abaddon in 
Hebrew, and Apollyon in Greek, and both names mean 
destroyer, the opposite to Jesus, which means Saviour 
and Redeemer. Now on account of the origin, char- 
acter, power, and the terrible ravages of evil in the 
world, and the fact that the devil, the fallen star, is 
the king of all evil, and also on account of the fact that 
there is only one way to be saved from the penalty, 
power, and presence of evil in the world, the fifth trum- 
pet issues the call, ‘‘ Repent and believe the Gospel.” 

6. ‘The Sixth Trumpet, or the first part of it, is a 
Call to Repentance in View of the Fact that God has 
fixed in His eternal Counsels a definite time when all 
restraint now upon evil in the earth will be relaxed 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 121 


and removed (9: 13-21). Everything points to the 
fact that the visions of the first four trumpets run 
concurrently, and that the visions of the second three 
trumpets, or parts of them, run successionally. When 
the fifth trumpet vision was finished, the announce- 
ment was made (v. 12), “ The first woe is past; be- 
hold, there come yet (or after this) two woes here- 


after” (or after this one). In history and experience, } 
the race is still under the fifth trumpet vision ; the sixth) 


ae, 
a bashes reenact 


trumpet vision, or the first” part of it, still belongs” ‘to é 


the future in history and experience. Nothing yet has 
happened in history exactly, in every particular, like 
what is here prefigured. 

In this part of the vision, there are several very sig- 
nificant symbols to notice, the Voice from the four 
horns of the golden altar, the Order given to the four 
restraining messengers, the great river Euphrates, and 
the infernal Army of horsemen. When the sixth angel 
sounded, John said, “I heard a voice from the four 
horns of the golden altar which is before (in the pres- 
ence of) God.” The golden altar was mentioned be- 
fore this (8:3). It was on this altar where the 
prayers of the saints, mixed with the much incense, 
were placed, and from which they were offered unto 
God by the Messenger who had previously ascended 
from the land of the sun-rising, and had been at the 
brazen altar, and made atonement for sin. The golden 
altar was in the Holy Place, close to the second veil, 
the Holy Veil, just in front of the Ark of the Cove- 
nant over which the Divine Glory shone. We are told 
(Ex. 80:10) that the golden altar, when in service, 
was most holy unto the Lord. 

There were two distinct prohibitions given concern- 
ing service at this altar, the first being that no strange 


122 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


incense snould be offered upon it (Ex. 30: 9) but only 
the Divinely prescribed incense, even that which God 
had offered and provided (Ex. 30: 34-88). If any 
one should attempt to present a counterfeit incense on 
this altar, he was cut off from the people of God. 
Strange incense illustrates and typifies a simulated or 
purely formal worship. There is such a thing as mak- 
ing worship a mere pleasure to the natural man, 
whether sensuous, as in beautiful music, to please the 
ear, or eloquence, merely to give delight to the natural 
mind. God is spirit, and they that worship Him must 
worship Him in spirit (John 4: 23, 24). No strange 
fire was permitted on this altar. Aaron’s sons tried 
this, and paid the penalty of their sin in death (Lev. 
10: 1-3). Fire for the golden altar in the Holy Place 
must come from the Brazen Altar in the Outer Court 
where the atonement by blood was made. ‘There is 
such a thing as stirring up or exciting the religious 
feelings by mere sensuous means, and substituting 
these stirred up feelings for true devotion to Christ. 
There are many ways of attempting to do this. Ihave 
seen leaders of music before congregations swing their 
arms, clap their hands, and call for what they termed 
““more pep.” It was all an attempt to stir up the re- 
ligious feelings. ‘The Golden Altar before the Lord 
was most holy, and it must not be treated with dis- 
respect, and insulted by a simulated and sensuous serv- 
ice. 

The Golden Altar had the blood of the sin offering 
applied to the four horns, or projecting points of it, 
once a year for the purpose of making a ceremonial 
and symbolic atonement or covering for the sins of 
the people. The placing of the blood on the four horns 
indicated the world-wide potency and offer of the 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 123 


atonement that had been made. ‘To attempt to burn 
with the holy fire, even the Divinely prescribed in- 
cense upon that altar without the blood being annually 
applied to it, was to merit and suffer the penalty of 
death. The blood was the basis of all the service pre- 
sented at that altar. Without the application and rec- 
ognition of the blood, all service rendered there was 
unavailing. That altar was a prophecy, a prefigura- 
tion, of Christ as our Intercessor, our Advocate with 
the Father through Whom all of our prayers and 
praises ascend to God (Heb. 13: 15). 

John hears the voice coming not only from the very 
Presence of God, and not only from the altar itself, 
but from the four horns of it, those parts to which 
the blood had been applied. The voice he heard was 
the voice of the Blood. In ancient times when the 
blood was properly applied to this altar, it cried unto 
God for mercy. But here is a voice calling, not for 
mercy, but for judgment and wrath; and the plain 
inference is, that the~blood™ hasbeen” ‘dishonoured, 
despised, and set aside. God’s way of forgiveness has 
been refused. “Thé blood that cried for mercy, in be- 
ing dishonoured and rejected, is forced into a cry for 
vengeance. This is exactly what we have symbolized 
here. The blood of Abel cried unto God for ven- 
geance. Is it not true that God’s way of Redemption in 
Christ has been rejected by the world, and even by 
many who profess to be Christians? Is it not true that 
many despise the blood to-day and will hear and have 
none of it? It is the Blood of Christ shed for the 
sins of men that is forced, by the attitude of men, to 
cry for vengeance, and one day that cry will be an- 
swered. 

The next symbol here is the four angels or mes- 


-124 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


sengers. The voice from the altar said to the sixth 
trumpet messenger, “ Loose the four angels that are 
bound.” As we had the Golden Altar before, so we 
had these four messengers before (7: 1-3). They 
were “bound” by the order of the One Messenger 
who ascended from the land of the sunrising. By 
Him they were commanded to hold in restraint the 
four judgment winds that they might not injure the 
land, the sea, and the trees, until all the servants of God 
were made secure. These four angels were put under 
bonds, or “bound” by the Lord, at the beginning of 
this dispensation, but now in our vision, they are 
released from that order, and the judgments are called 
for and allowed to come. This points to a day yet 
future. The voice that commanded a restraint of the 
judgments now orders a release of the judgments. 
What would it mean for evil in the earth, and what 
would it mean for the race, if all restraint upon sin 
were relaxed and removed? What if the restraining 
power of law, education, moral reform of all kinds, 
good governments, the Gospel of God’s Grace, and the 
Church were all removed? Can you conceive of what 
terrible results would follow? ‘That condition, and 
that time is coming because God’s way of salvation is 
‘despised and rejected of men. 

It is interesting to notice where these angels were 
bound, and did their work. It was “upon,” near, at, 
or in the region of that great river Euphrates. There 
is a real river by this name. It takes its rise among 
the mountains of Armenia, and flows south to the 
Persian Gulf, a distance of one thousand and seven 
hundred miles. On the northeast, this river was the 
boundary line of the Land of Palestine (Gen. 15: 18). 
It was also Israel’s line of defense against her power- 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 125 


ful enemy who had to cross its broad stream before it 
could capture any part of the promised land. Then 
the prophets saw in the power and rush of this river, 
a figure of judgment upon those who would not con- 
fess, obey, and serve God. This is what we have in 
Isaiah (8: 5-8), where the prophet said, “ The Lord 
spake also unto me again saying, Forasmuch as this 
people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, 
and rejoice in Rezin, and Remaliah’s son; now there- 
fore, Behold the Lord bringeth upon them the waters 
of the river, strong and many, even the King of As- 
syria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all 
his channels and go over all his banks: and he shall 
pass through Judah, he shall overflow and go over, 
he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching 
out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O 
Emmanuel.” The overflowing and rushing of that 
mighty river, carrying everything and every one before 
it, is here made the symbol of fearful judgment. The 
angels bound in the region of that river are repre- 
sented first as holding back, not only the winds of 


eee 


judgment, but the floods of judgment; now they are | 
ordered to release their restraining hold and to allow. 
the floods or billows of God’s wrath to overwhelm the | 
whole face of the globe. What is here prefigured will | 


surely come to pass some day. 

It is of importance to notice how many things oc- 
curred in the region of the Euphrates. There is an 
old Jewish tradition which states that evil spirits are 
detained and have their abode in the deserts bordering 
the Euphrates. It was in the region of the Euphrates, 
according to the record, that Satan first alighted upon 
our planet, won his first triumphs, and first set his 
foul agencies to work against men. It was in that 


126 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


region where man was created, where he lived for a 
time in holy, happy innocency, and then fell into sin. 
It was in that region where the first child was born, 
and where the first murder was committed. It was 
also in that region where the great apostasies, both 
before and after the flood, had their center. Yes, and 
it was in that region that the most oppressive enemies 
of God’s people resided, and that the Jews were com- 
pelled to drag out the long and weary years of their 
great captivity. Further, it was in that region where 
all the ancient world powers took their rise. That 
region, somewhere, was the first cradle of human life 
and civilization. Thus we see that to the Jewish mind, 
the region of the Euphrates had the greatest signif- 
icance. Let us thank God that the angels of His mercy 
all around us are straining to hold back the flood tides 
of evil from overwhelming the whole human family. 
.The Euphrates is not in any one country, but in all 
‘countries; not in any one place in any one country, 
‘but in all places in every country. | 

Not only have we here the voice from the Golden 
Altar, the four bound and released angels, and the 
rushing of the Euphrates of evil, but we also have an 
army of infernal horsemen. It is well for us to quote 
this part of the passage. It reads, “ And the number 
of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thou- 
sand thousands (two hundred million): and I heard 
the number of them, and thus I saw the horses in the 
vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates 
of fire and of jacinth and brimstone: and the heads 
of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of 
their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By 
these three was the third part of men killed, by the 
fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone, which 


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SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 127 


issued out of their mouths. For their power is in 
their mouth and in their tails: for their tails were 


like unto serpents and had heads, and with them they | 
do hurt.” These are not natural, but supernatural | . 


horses and riders. They are evil spirits of some kind. 
The instruments with which they fight and destroy are 
not natural, but supernatural. There is a mighty army 
of evil agencies that the eyes of men have never looked 
upon. This part of the vision is also coloured by what 
we have in the Old Testament (Hab. 1: 5-10). To 
the ancient Jews, the horse presented an object of 
terror rather than admiration, and an army of horse- 
men awakened in them the deepest alarm. An army 
of horsemen always spoke to the Jews of destruction, 
of death, conquest, and suffering most terrible. As I 
said, the horses here, like the locusts in the previous 
picture, are clothed with hellish supernatural attributes, 


and they convey an image of demoniacal terror. | 
These horses stifle, destroy, and kill with their sooty, © 


sulphurous breath. They have two means of injuring 
men. They kill by what they belch forth from their 
mouth, and hurt by their snake-like tails. The fire 
would scorch and burn men to death; the smoke would 
stifle and smother them. These three things are spoken 
of as “ plagues.”’ To meet one of these infernal horses 
face to face is certain death, either by burning or 
stifling. As to the serpentine tails of these infernal 
beasts, nothing is said of their power to kill, but only 
of their power to injure, to lame, maim, sting, or hurt. 
Whatever be the significance of all this, we are sure 


of one thing, and that is, in this part of our vision, we © 
have prefigured the relaxation and removal of all re- | 


straint of general evil in the world. When such re- 


laxation and liberation of all evil in the world takes © 


128 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


place, sin will overwhelm the human family as the 
mighty billows cover the bed of the sea. 

In concluding this study, there are two things of 
importance to notice. ‘The first is this. God, in His 
eternal Counsels has set a time when this judgment will 
take place in the earth. It may fall upon the earth at 
any moment. He has kept this date a secret from men. 
How do we know that He has set such a date? It is 
right here in our passage, and according to the reading 
of the Revised Version, we are told (v. 15) that the 
four angels who let loose the infernal floods and the 
infernal army, were prepared for or against “ the hour, 
and day, and month and year.” ‘The definite Greek 
article teen, the English the, placed once only before all 
the periods, implies that the hour in the day, and the 
day in the month, and the month in the year, had 
been definitely fixed by the Lord. The article would 
have been omitted had the sum of the periods been 
specified. God has fixed in His eternal plan, when 
this judgment will take place, and to this agrees the 
word of the Apostle when he said (Acts 17: 81), “ He 
hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world 
in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; 
whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that 
He hath raised him from the dead.” Because God 
-hath set this day in His eternal plan, and because men 
do not know that day, the call of this trumpet is, “ Re- 
pent now and believe the Gospel.”’ 

Another thing made plain here is that judgment or 
suffering very infrequently brings men to repentance 
and faith. The concluding part of our chapter bears 
upon that most emphatically. It says, ““ And the rest 
of the men which were not killed by these plagues, 
yet repented not of the works of their hands that they 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 129 


should not worship devils and idols of gold and silver 
and brass and stone and of wood, which neither can 
see nor hear nor walk; neither repented they of their 
murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornica- 
tions, nor of their thefts.” They repented not of their 
idolatry, of their cruelty, of their witchery, of their 
impurity, nor of their dishonesty. What is here de- 
clared, we have had from the very beginning of the 
human family. Men do not turn to God from sin by 
reason of judgments in the land. They turn to God 
from the conviction of sin within and from moral 
considerations. It is true that judgments in the life, 
such as sickness, bereavement, and adversity cause men 
to pause and to think, but suffering cannot, and never 
has saved men from sin. Men are saved from sin by 
the sight of Jesus, and by the sovereign agency of the 
Holy Spirit. “If they hear not Moses and the proph- 
ets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose 
from the dead.” On account, therefore, of the blood 
of Christ which is calling for vengeance as well as for 
mercy, on account of the day being fixed in the Coun- 
sels of God, for the judgments of this world, on ac- 
count of the fact that a believing sight of Jesus only 
can save, the call under this solemn trumpet blast is 
“ Repent now and believe the Gospel.” 


IX 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued) 
REVELATION 10: I-II 


\ ), Y HAT we have in this chapter belongs to, and 
runs along concurrently with, all that is em- 
braced in the six trumpet blasts which we 
have just studied. It describes to us an episode, or an 
event, a glorious event, which runs along amidst a 
series of the other events just previously described in 
a symbolic way. It is not a vision of judgment, but 
rather a prefiguration of mercy for the race. Like 
nearly every vision in the Revelation, this one is also 
taken from the Old Testament. In the Book of 
Ezekiel, the prophet was spoken to after this manner, 
“But thou son of man, hear what I say unto thee; be 
not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy 
mouth and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, 
behold, an hand was sent unto:me; and lo a roll of a 
book was therein; and he spread it before me; and it 
was written within and without: and there was writ- 
ten therein lamentations and mourning and woe. 
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou 
findest: eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of 
Israel.” 

Then the prophet said, “So I opened my mouth and 
he caused me to eat that roll, And he said unto me, Son 
of man, cause thy belly to eat and fill thy bowels with 
this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat, and it was 
in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said 

130 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 131 


unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of 
Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou 
art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an 
hard language, but to the house of Israel; not to many 
people of a strange speech and of an hard language, 
whose words thou canst not understand. Surely had 
I sent you to them, they would have hearkened unto 
thee” (Ezek. 2: 8-3: 6). It is not difficult to see that 
what we have here is largely a reproduction of what 
the prophet Ezekiel saw, heard, and experienced. 

The story of this vision is very simple and its par- 
ticulars are as follows. John is made to see an Angel 
come down out of heaven attired with a cloud. A 
rainbow, speaking of mercy and faithfulness, is above 
and around about the Angel’s head. His face is like 
the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. On, or in his 
hand, there is an outspread roll of a book. The Angel 
sets his left foot on the earth, or land, and his right 
foot on the sea, or ocean, and then cries with a loud 
voice as when a lion roareth. When this significant 
act is accomplished by the angel, the Seer is made to 
hear seven claps of thunder, indicative of judgment. 
These claps of thunder bear to his mind a very dis- 
tinct message, and he takes up his pen to record what 
he had heard, and he was prohibited from doing so, a 
voice speaking unto him from heaven saying, “ Seal 
up those things which the seven thunders have uttered 
and write them not.” Here was something that John 
heard and understood, but he was prohibited from 
making it known to others. Preachers and teachers of 
the Word of God must, of necessity, know and ex- 
perience more truth than they make known. The 
Angel then lifted up his hand unto heaven, and swore 
most solemnly by the holy Person of the Creator and 


132 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


Sustainer of all things, that there should be delay in 
time no longer in carrying out in history the promised, 
prophetic message. 

The voice that prohibited the apostle from recording 
the message of the seven judgment thunders then spoke 
to him again, and commanded him to take the little 
Book out of the hand of the Angel, and to eat, mas- . 
ticate, digest, and assimilate its contents. The Angel 
advised him that when he would eat the Book that 
its contents would be bitter to his stomach, at the same 
time sweet to his mouth. In obedience to the Divine 
command, John approached the ‘ Mighty Angel” and 
requested from Him the little Book, and the Angel 
gave unto him the little Book with the command to eat 
it up completely. He ate it as commanded, and its 
contents were sweet to his mouth and painful to his 
stomach. After he had partaken thus of the Book, 
the strong Angel again commanded him to prophesy 
or preach what he had learned to many peoples, na- 
tions, tongues, and governments. 

This is the simple story of the vision, and it is easy 
to grasp the thought that it comes out of the Old 
Testament. There are two prominent things in this 
story vision: First, the Strong Angel; second, The 
Little Book in the Hand of that Angel. Let us keep 
in mind clearly that all of what we have here is vision, 
or dream, but let us remember that behind it, and in 
it, there are some spiritual realities that are very in- 
tense, and they have a very definite message for the 
people of God to-day. 

1. We will think first about the Angel as presented 
in this vision. John saw “another mighty angel come 
down from heaven clothed with a cloud and a rainbow 
was upon his head, and his face was, as it were, the 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 133 


sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.” It is quite com- 
monly believed by Bible students that the angel of this 
vision was Jesus Christ Himself. Elsewhere in the 
Book Christ is spoken of as a Lion, a Lamb, a Root, 
an Offspring, a Witness, a Star, and now He is an 
Angel or Messenger. In the very first verse of this 
book, He is presented as an Angel who is the Author 
of the book. This Angel is spoken of as “ another 
angel.” As I said previously, when the word “ another” 
is used with a noun before it, it is very significant. 
It signifies literally, “another who is the same,” and 
throughout the Book of the Revelation we find this 
word descriptive of our Lord. In the first verse of our 
vision, He is spoken of as a “mighty” or strong 
Angel. In the fifth chapter (verse 2), we saw a strong 
angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘“‘ Who is worthy 
to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof.” The 
mighty angel of this vision is the same as the mighty 
angel of the vision in chapter five, and they both refer 
to the same Person, Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is 
mighty because fullness of power is in Him, because 
He is valiant, and because He has been in battle and 
won in the fight. He has prevailed and gained the 
conquest. Christ overcame by His death and resurrec- 
tion, and was therefore qualified to open the seven 
sealed book, and to carry out in history its program. 
This is so much for the Angel of our vision in general, 
but there are several particular things about Him that 
we must observe carefully. 

Notice in the first place, the origin of the Angel. 
John saw Him, not coming from any one of the four 
points of the compass nor up from the earth or sea, 
but rather coming down out of heaven. In origin, 
character, ministry, and end Christ is a heavenly Mes- 


134 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


senger. He came from the glory. Frequently when 
He was here in the earth, He spoke of His heavenly 
origin stating that He had come from the Father and 
that He was going to the Father. In this Angel com- 
ing down out of heaven, we have a symbolic reference 
to the birth of our Lord into human flesh by the sov- 
ereign agency of the-Holy Spirit. 

Further, John was attracted by the peculiar attire 
or dress of the mighty angel. He was clothed with a 
cloud. We have frequent reference to clouds in this 
book (11:12; 14:14, 15, 16). When Christ went 
home on high in the Ascension, a cloud received Him 
out of the sight of men on earth. The two witnesses, 
when raptured into the glory, went up in a cloud. 
There is a white cloud upon which sat One like unto 
the Son of Man. When clouds are used in Scripture 
as symbols of ideas, they carry a variety of meaning. 
In the Old Testament Jehovah manifested His Pres- 
ence and glory in a cloud. So deep was the cloud in 
some places that it could not be penetrated. Also in 
the Old Testament, clouds are made to symbolize God’s 
care and guidance of His people. This is particularly 
shown in the guidance and protection by the Pillar 
Cloud in the wilderness. Just what kind of a cloud is 
mentioned in our vision, whether of vapour, smoke, or 
light, we are not informed, but we are sure that, as 
a symbol, it tells of veiled Deity. This is precisely 
what we have in Christ as He tabernacled among men 
in the flesh. 

Not only is our attention directed here to the de- 
scent and attire of the Messenger of Christ, but our 
thought is directed to His Head Dress as well. The 
passage says that there was “a rainbow” upon His 
head. We suppose that the rainbow appeared as a kind 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 135 


of halo of glory above and around about His majestic 
brow. There is much about rainbows in the Old Testa- 
ment, and in the fourth chapter of Revelation, the 
rainbow is mentioned as being around about the throne, 
and in sight, like unto an emerald. In Palestine where 
the rains are quick, and heavy downpours in showers, 
there are some wonderful rainbows to be seen. Fre- 
quently there, they look upon double and even treble 
rainbows that are a wonder to the beholder. John 
had been on the Island of Patmos for about eighteen 
months, and, doubtless after the storms had passed, 
he was privileged to see some wonderful rainbows. 
When he saw them, doubtless he was made to think of 
the rainbow set in the cloud after the storm, which 
symbolized Divine mercy and Jehovah’s faithfulness to 
His people. The rainbow in this case around about 
the head of the mighty angel tells us not of justice, not 
of anger, not of judgment; but of grace, and of in- 
finite mercy. In Christ, not only have we Deity and 
humanity embodied, but we have the mercy and faith- 
fulness of Jehovah incarnated and expressed as well. 
There is still another thing concerning this Angel 
that is of interest in this vision. The Seer was made 
to look upon the face of the Angel, and he said that 
for brightness, brilliance, and beauty, it was like the 
shining of the noonday Syrian sun. In the first chap- 
ter, we are told that the “ countenance ”’ of the Christ, 
as He appeared in the midst of the lampstands, was 
like the sun. If the angel were attired with a cloud, 
his face was not covered by that cloud. John saw his 
“face.” The word “ face” in this passage has a num- 
ber of meanings including visage, countenance, appear- 
ance, aspect, and presence. It may just be that the 
whole appearance of the angel, dressed in the Shekinah 


136 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


cloud of glory, was like what John had often beheld 
in the setting of the glorious Eastern sun over the 
mountains of Patmos. John said elsewhere, “ No man 
hath seen God at any time, but that the only begotten 
of the Father hath declared Him.” While here in the 
flesh, Christ dwelt in human form, and in that form, 
a few got glimpses of. the glory of God, full of grace 
_ and truth. 

Moreover, notice that John fixed his gaze also on 
the Feet of the Mighty Angel, and said that they were 
as “pillars of fire.’ The Feet here include the legs. 
In the first vision of the book, where Christ appears 
so gloriously, His Feet are also mentioned and spoken 
of as brass that had been purified in the fire. Feet and 
legs when used as a symbol, always illustrate procedure, 
behaviour, manner, conduct. This brings to our mind 
the statement, “‘ How beautiful are the feet of them 
that bring glad tidings of good things.” This refers 
to their manner of life, their conduct. Here the feet 
of Christ are like pillars because they are firmly 
planted. There is no danger of slipping, sliding, and 
stumbling in those feet. He is the stedfast and faith- 
ful Messenger both of God and man. They are like 
fire because they reflect the judicial glory of Jehovah. 
As fire warms, illuminates, purifies, and destroys, so 
the procedure of Christ judicially in the Church and 
in the world, accomplishes the same things. Once John 
fell down at these feet, and while there, humbled and 
broken, he heard the message, “‘ Fear not; I am the 
first and the last.” 

It is well for us to notice two strange acts of this 
mighty Angel. He set His left foot upon the earth, 
and His right foot upon the sea, and then cried with a 
loud voice as when a lion roars. The earth, or land, 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 137 


is used frequently in this book as an illustration of 
the Jewish nation. Later, we will look upon a great 
beast as he comes up out of the earth, speaking like a 
dragon, at the same time having horns like a lamb. 
The sea is a symbol of the nations of the earth in their 
restlessness, barrenness, danger, and death. The act 
of setting the foot upon each one, the earth and sea, 
and crying with a loud voice as when a lion roars, is 
illustrative of possession, dominion, sovereignty. Dur- 
ing this dispensation, God, by His Holy Spirit, is call- 
ing out from among the Jews a number who are being 
saved, as in the seventh chapter we saw them sealed 
unto eternal salvation. Christ saving the Jews is the, 

reality of the symbol of His placing His left foot upon | 

the earth. He is claiming a part of the national earth | 

or land for Himself. anne the same period, He is | 

calling out from among the nations of the earth, a_ 

multitude that no man can number, and by these | 
two companies, saved Jews and saved Gentiles, whom \ 
He claims for Himself, He is forming the Church and 
preparing her for the glory in the future. In saving | 
the Gentiles, we see Christ with His right foot upon | 
its prey and to take possession. Christ is the Lion of 
the tribe of Judah, and for two thousand years now, 
He has been claiming by His grace, individuals from 
among both Jews and Gentiles, and saving them day 
by day. 

There is another ane act of the Angel here. As 
He stands with His left foot upon the earth, and His 
right foot upon the sea, He lifts up His hand toward 
high heaven, and solemnly swears by Him who created 
heaven and all things therein, the earth and all things 
therein, the sea, and all things therein, that there 


138 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


should be delay in time no longer. This act had very 
solemn significance. I believe that this act in history 
was the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came 
down to this earth, and began at that time to form the 
Church, “the Mystery of God.’ Up to the Day of 
Pentecost, the formation of the Mystery of God was 
delayed, and from that time to this, and on to the 
time when the last angel shall begin to blow his trum- 
pet, the time of delay shall be no longer. The time 
for the execution of this oath, and the carrying out of 
it in history is now. This is the work of the Holy 
Spirit at the present time through those who already 
believe. 

2. We have looked at seven distinct things con- 
cerning the Angel of our vision who is indeed the 
Christ, and now let us look at some things which are 
brought into prominence concerning the little Book 
which is in the hand of the Angel. John said, “ And 
he had in his hand a little book open . . . and the 
voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again 
and said, Go and take the little book which is open 
in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea 
and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel and 
said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said 
unto me, Take it and eat it up; and it shall make thy 
belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 
And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and 
ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and 
as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.” As I 
said, in a previous chapter, there is much about books 
in the Revelation. John was told in the first vision 
to write what he saw in the Book and to send it unto 
the seven churches (1:11). What we have in the 
Revelation is that Book. It might be called the 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 139 


Prophetic Book. In the twenty-second chapter, no less 
than five different times, the Revelation is spoken of as 
a: Book” (vs. 7, 9,.10,'18, 19). There is also a 
“sealed” book mentioned in the fifth chapter of this 
prophecy. It is written both within and without, so 
that none can add to it, nor take away from it. For 
a time, that book is sealed, and then the seals are 
broken, and the events it records and predicts are dis- 
played and carried out in the program of world his- 
tory. That might be called the book of History. In 
the Revelation we have also “ The Book of Life” and 
eeunewWamb’s Book jof Lite” (875 3) 18:33) Les383 
20: 12, 15; 21:27). This is the Divine Birth Register 
which contains the names of all those who have been 
born again. These are three books that are mentioned 
in the Revelation, the Book of Prophecy, the Book of 
History, and the Book of Life. In the Old Testament, 
we read about the Book of the Law, and the “‘ Volume 
of the Book,” and “‘ the Book of Remembrance.” ‘The 
Book of this vision is distinct from all the others I 
mentioned. There are two things specified concerning 
it. It is seen in the hands of the Angel. He holds it, 
indicating that He is the Author of it, the Owner of it, 
and the Theme of it. 

Whatever this Book represents, Christ is its Author, 
its Owner, and its Theme. The Book is also open. 
Some think that this book was once a sealed book, and 
that the seals had been broken, and the scroll itself 
unrolled. Some think that the “little book” is the 
same as the “ Sealed Book” in the fifth and sixth 
chapters. I do not think that this book was ever 
sealed. It was open from the very beginning. It will 
be remembered that when all the visions of the Reve- 
lation had been given and received, that the Author said 


140 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


to the writer, ‘‘ Seal not the sayings of the prophecy 
of this book,” the reason being that the time for the 
fulfillment of the prophecies as contained in the Book 
had already arrived. The Book of the Revelation in 
particular, and the Book called the Bible in general, 
both Old and New Testaments, is open, free, and 
spread before us. The Church of Rome may attempt 
to seal the Bible and keep it from the “laity.” Others 
may attempt to “seal ’’ the Book of the Revelation and 
say it is not for us to-day and not to be understood, 
but in no sense are the Bible and the Book of the Reve- 
lation sealed books. In the twenty-fourth chapter of 
the Gospel by Luke, we have three open things: open 
eyes, open Scriptures, and open understanding. The 
particular book mentioned in this vision is the full 
Gospel of Jesus Christ as contained in the Bible. He 
by the Spirit is the Author of the Bible, the Owner 
of the Bible, and the Theme of the Bible. He stands 
to-day with this Book in His hand, and offers it to 
all who will receive, partake of, live it, and preach it. 

John was told to do four things in reference to this 
little open Book, and we are commanded to do the 
same things in reference to the Book of the Revelation 
in particular and the Bible in general. He was com- 
manded first to take the Little Book out of the hand 
of the Angel. This was a Divine order to possess 
himself of the Book. He went to the Angel, as we 
should go to Christ in prayer, and requested the Book, 
and the Angel willingly and gladly placed the Book in 
the possession of the Seer, thereby transferring it to 
him as his own. We are to make the Bible, the full 
message of the Gospel, our own by reading it, by fa- 
miliarizing ourselves with it, by apprehending it with 
all of our personal powers, by living it in practical 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 141 


daily life and by teaching and preaching it to all man- 
kind. 

Further, John was also commanded to eat the Little 
Book, which he did. This eating, of course, is a 
symbol of a much deeper and spiritual truth. In lit- 
eral eating there is appropriation and mastication. 
When we masticate our food, we hold it in our mouths, 
turn it over again and again, and chew and chew it, 
that is if we eat properly, thereby mastering and pre- 
paring our food for its work in the physical system. 
Mastication of food illustrates meditation on the Word 
of God. In eating also, there is digestion and assimi- 
lation. In digestion and assimilation, the food that we 
have appropriated and masticated becomes a part, or 
is built up into bone, flesh, nerve, and brain of our 
bodies. It is one thing to know the Scriptures by in- 
tellectual apprehension, and quite another thing to 
have the teaching and spirit of the Scriptures built up 
into our spiritual lives, character, and conduct. 

We cannot pass over this eating of the Little Book 
without observing its twofold effect in John as he 
dreamed of partaking of it. He said that it was bitter 
to his stomach. The word for ‘ stomach” describes 
the whole of the internal digestive organs. The word 
“bitter ’”’ literally means pains, or pangs. Physically 
speaking, the eating of this little Book gave him ex- 
treme pains. Then he found the little Book very sweet 
unto his taste, so that there were a sweet taste and a 
bitter taste produced in the same person who had par- 
taken of this little Book. This is significant of the 
effects of the Gospel of Divine Grace in those who 
receive it by faith. The Word of God, in general, the 
prophecy of the Revelation in particular, is always 
bitter to human nature as such, the reason being that 


142 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


the Bible always protests against sin and false doc- 
trines; it prohibits pleasures that are sinful in practice, 
and it unveils the judgment of God upon evil of every 
kind. It produces pains or cramps in human nature 
that are not pleasant to experience. But if the Bible, 
or the full Gospel message, is bitter to the natural man 
it is certainly sweet to the spiritual man. It is sweet 
to the spiritual man because it tells of Divine Grace 
to the rebellious, of forgiveness for the sinner, and be- 
cause it reveals a mighty, gracious Saviour. It exhibits 
a reconciled Father, and brings to light a glorious im- 
mortality for those who believe. For the believing 
sinner, the Gospel has a very precious message. 

The final thing to notice here is that when John 
had partaken of the Book, and eaten the Book, he was 
told to communicate its contents to others. He was 
first to take the Book and make it his own by building 
it up into his spiritual character, and then he was to 
go forth and proclaim it to others. We must know 
the Bible intellectually first, experimentally second, and 
practically third, and then, like John, we are to go 
forth and “ prophesy again before many peoples, and 
nations and tongues and governments.” “ Prophecy ” 
itself is spoken of several times in the Revelation, but 
only in one other place do we read about “ prophesy- 
ing” (11:3). A comparison of the two passages 
where prophesying is mentioned reveals the fact that 
it is to be understood, not as foretelling, but as forth- 
telling. It is the heralding or proclaiming the good 
tidings of a crucified, risen, exalted, enthroned, and 
coming Lord for all believing sinners. The prophet 
is not only the messenger of mercy, but the herald of 
the righteous government of God as well. It was 
John’s responsibility and privilege to make known to 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 143 


others what he has seen, heard, and experienced. He 
himself was to be a sample of the message that he 
proclaimed. It is our responsibility, too, to teach the 
Living Word of God to all believers who know it not, 
and to proclaim without fear, or favour, the Evangel 
of Divine Grace, to all outside of Christ, of every 
people, nation, language, and government on the face 
of the globe. 


Xx 
SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Continued) 


REVELATION II: I-14 


book is a kind of summary of, or introduction to, 

the more detailed symbolic prophecies of the same 
events to come. Hence, in the part we are now to 
study, we find anticipatory allusions to subsequent pre- 
dictions. In the first and second verses of the chapter, 
we have an introduction to the main pictograph before 
us, namely, that of the Two Witnesses. In these two 
verses, there are several condensed figures to notice, 
The Rod-like Reed, The Measuring, The Temple, The 
Altar, Them that Worship therein, and the Outer- 
court which was given to the Gentiles. A proper un- 
derstanding of these symbols will greatly help to a 
clear understanding of the great vision that is to fol- 
low. 

First we notice the Reed, or standard of measure- 
ment which commonly was about ten feet in length. 
This particular reed was like a rod in that it was 
straight, strong, and unbending, unlike the reed 
“shaken by the wind.” ‘This reed was a familiar Old 
Testament instrument (Ezek. 40: 2-5) and figure. It 
is also mentioned again in this book (21:15, 17), 
where it is used to measure the Holy City. The reed 
was the recognized standard of depth, length, height, 
and breadth. When used in the Old Testament as a 
figure, it invariably set forth the will of God as ex- 
pressed in the Law which came from Moses. John 


144 


[: has been noticed that the eleventh chapter of this 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 145 


was given the Reed, and that doubtless by the Angel 
mentioned in the previous chapter, that Messenger who 
had given him the Little Book. As the rod-like reed 
in the Old Testament represented the Law of Moses, 
so the rod-like reed in this vision prefigured the whole 
canon of Scripture, including both Old and New 
Testaments, our rule for faith and practice. What 
was a book in the previous chapter, is a reed in this 
chapter, strong and straight, unbending and destroying 
to all sin and error, and that cannot be broken. 

But the Seer was told to do something very definite 
with the rod-like reed, even to measure. According 
to the Authorized Version it is declared that “the angel 
stood,” perhaps still on the earth and the sea, saying, 
“Rise and measure.’”’ If this be the correct reading, 
the one who gave this command was the mighty Angel, 
Christ. ‘The Revised Version has it, “ And one said,” 
not saying what one. Wordsworth takes the “one” 
here to be the Reed personified, and surely the Holy 
Spirit does speak in the Word of God. Whoever, or 
whatever spoke at this time, there was issued a very 
definite order. It was “ Measure”! This figure, too, 
comes from the Old Testament (Ezek. 40:48). In 
former times, they measured for estimation with the 
purpose of testing as to the exact proportion of the 
object. This they did to ascertain whether the object 
was perfect. They also measured or marked for 
identification, for destruction, and for preservation. 


If the object measured was up to the standard, then it. 


was devoted to safety. The measuring here is not for 
identification, nor for destruction, but for estimation 
looking forward to preservation. pia 
According to théSe verses, thrée objects were meas- 
ured, the temple, the altar, and them that worship 


i ial 


RT. 


PRAM acc tee IO CRATES 


146 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


therein. The temple measured was not the literal tem- 
ple, for that had been totally destroyed” ‘and burned 
at least twenty years before this. Then”John was on 


the Island’of*Patmos at this time, about a hundred and 


. fifty miles away from Mount Moriah, where the old 
* temple once stood. When John saw and measured the 


temple, there was no such literal building on the earth. 
The word for temple here is “ aon,’ not “ hieron,” 
meaning the holy place, the sanctuary, or inner shrine. 
It was the holy of holies that John saw measured and 
marked, that part of the ancient temple that had the 
ark of the covenant, the law, the mercy seat, and 
Jehovah’s manifested Presence. ‘The literal Holy of 
Holies in Jerusalem was an exact figure of the Holy 
Place in heaven where God has His throne. In the 
nineteenth verse of this chapter, we read about the 
temple, or holy of holies, of God, “ which 7s in heaven.” 
The temple which was measured was the heavenly, not 
the earthly temple. But what is the heavenly temple, 
or holy of holies? Is it a place, or is it a person? It 
is a Person, for we read (21: 22), “ The Lord God 
almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.” God 
Himself is the Holy of Holies to all those who believe. 
He is represented as being measured here to demon- 
strate and to manifest the absolute perfection of His 
nature in every respect, and hence beyond all danger 
of injury from the evil and trouble in the earth. Our 
God is infinitely wise, powerful, holy, just, loving, 
gracious, and merciful. He is up to the standard, and 
therefore worthy of unconditional confidence. 

The altar was also measured in this vision. ‘This 
was the golden altar, for there was no other altar in 
the holy place. We must keep in mind that there was 
no such literal piece of furniture at that time as the 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 147 


Golden Altar. It, too, had been destroyed long before 
John had this vision. What John saw measured was a 
heavenly altar, and it was in the inner shrine of the 
heavenly sanctuary above. ‘This is the altar at which 
we saw the angel stand with the golden censer in his 
hand, the altar on which the prayers of the saints were 
offered, and the altar from the four blood-tipped horns 
of which there came the mighty voice saying, ‘“‘ Loose 
the four angels which are bound.” As I said before, 
this altar, when used as a figure, is always a type of 
symbol of Christ as Intercessor, before the Father 
through Whom our prayers, praises and worship as- 
cend to God. The measuring of the golden altar with 
the reed is a picture of the measuring of Christ as 
our Advocate in the Glory, to demonstrate and to make 
known His absolute perfection as the present Prince 
of Life, and Captain of our salvation. Jesus in His 
nature and work is up to the Divine standard in all 
respects. He is all that God the Father claims for 
Him, and what He claims for Himself, and because 
He is perfect as our Intercessor, He is therefore safe 
from all harm. He is the impregnable Rock of Ages, 
and the hosts of hell cannot prevail against Him, and 
therefore, as God, He is worthy of all confidence from 
men. 

The passage also says that there was measured 
“them that worship therein.” The idea of literally 
measuring persons with a rod, is in opposition to the 
realities of life, and the ordinary use of human lan- 
guage. We can speak of persons literally worshipping 
“im” a temple, but we cannot speak of them correctly 
as worshipping “im” an altar. These persons wor- 
shipped both 7m the temple, and in the golden altar. 
Who are these persons? How did they worship im 


148 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


the temple, and im the golden altar? They are meas- 
ured and marked for perfection and preservation for 
all time and eternity. In Old Testament times, only 
priests worshipped in the Holy Place, and that af, not 
in, the altar. God has made in this age all believers a 
kingdom of priests, and they worship, though on earth, 
in the Holy of Holies, which is God, and im and 
\ through the Golden Altar, which is Christ. The per- 
sons thus measured in this vision are the people of 
God of all races and countries, dead and living, justified 
and declared righteous according to the Divine-stand- 
‘ard in Christ by the Father. The people of God are 
‘as holy in the-Presence*of God as Christ Himself is, 
‘for they stand there in Him, and hence they are safe 
* forevermore. 

The Temple, the Altar, and “ them that worship 
therein ’’ were all measured for perfection and preser- 
vation. Following upon this, John was told not to 
measure the outer court, the reason being, “ For it is 
given to the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they 
tread under foot forty and two months.” The outer 
court originally was all outside of the Holy Place, and 
when “left out” or “ cast out,’”? was to be reckoned 
as unhallowed and devoted to destruction. By Divine 
appointment, this court without was given to the Gen- 
tiles or nations, and they were to tread it down for a 
symbolic period of forty-two months. The “ casting 
out’ here is a symbol of excommunication, a spiritual 
and national sentence, speaking of deprivation of 
spiritual and national privileges abused. The “ court 
that is without ” symbolized the faithless and rebellious 
kingdom of the Hebrew nation, left out of the meas- 
uring, for utter destruction, which destruction began 
in 70 a. D. and has been in progress ever since. ‘This 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 149 


is precisely what we have predicted by the Lord (Luke 
21:24), when He looked down through the ages past 
our own time, and said concerning the Hebrew people, 
“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and 
shall be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem 
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times 
of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” The Jewish Kingdom in 
history fell nearly two thousand years ago, and that 
by the sword of the world power has been led captive 
by the nations, and is now, has been, and will be 
trodden down, or held in subjection, until the time for 
Gentile sovereignty over them is fulfilled, which will 
be at the close of this dispensation. A study of the 
history and experience of the Jewish nation in this age 
in relation to the world dominions will confirm any 
unprejudiced, intelligent student how literally this 
prophecy has been fulfilled. 

This leads to a consideration of the vision proper 
in this passage, the Two Witnesses. As there is a 
considerable confusion and misapprehension concern- 
ing these two symbolic characters, it. is necessary to 
make a detailed examination of particular parts of the 
pictograph before us. There are a number of things to 
notice, and as some of them are anticipatory of what 
will follow later, where they are more fully described, 
we will be brief in what we say about them here. 

1. The first thing to observe carefully is the Pe- 
riod during which the Witnesses are to give forth their 
Testimony. This is the first item of interest presented, 
and signified in a symbolic manner. It says (v. 3), 
“And they shall prophesy (or preach) a thousand 
two hundred and threescore days.” Twelve hundred 
and sixty days with thirty days to the month is exactly 
forty-two months, the period of time during which the 


150 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


Hebrew Kingdom is trodden down by the Gentile 
world powers (v. 2). The same symbolic expres- 
sion will meet us in the thirteenth chapter (v. 5), 
where it is said, ‘ There was given to the beast au- 
thority to continue forty and two months.” Forty and 
two months, and twelve hundred and sixty days, is 
also three and a half years, the Jewish year having 
consisted of twelve months. The same period of time 
is alluded to in chapter twelve (v. 14) when it is said 
of the woman who fled in the wilderness, that she was 
there nourished for “‘a time, and times, and half a 
time.’ By a comparison of chapter eleven and three, 
and twelve and six with verse fourteen of this chap- 
ter, it distinctly shows that the period of time denoted 
by the forty and two months and the twelve hundred 
and sixty days is equivalent to the three and a half 
times, or years. Three and a half multiplied by three 
hundred and sixty, the number of days in the Jewish 
year, give us exactly twelve hundred and sixty days, 
or forty-two months. These four periods, therefore, 
the forty-two months, the twelve hundred and sixty 
days, time, times, and half a time, and the three days 
and a half, or the half week, are the same. (See my 
book, “‘ Daniel’s Half Week Now Closing.”) This is 
the period of time in history when the Jewish King- 
dom is broken, scattered, enthralled, and persecuted 
by the Gentile nations of the earth. Surely it is plain 
that we have described here in this pictographic way, 
the present dispensation, running from the first advent 
of Christ to the second. This is the time then, that 
the witnesses “ prophesy” or forthtell their message 
of repentance and redemption. 

2. ‘The next thing to notice is the Jdentity of these 
two witnesses. Some take these two witnesses, not 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 151 


as symbolic characters, but as two individuals who will 
appear on earth some time in the future. In taking 
this view of them, they assert that their death will be 
literal, and their dead bodies will literally lie in the 
streets of literal Jerusalem for a period of a literal 
three days and a half. All those who take this view 
forget that what we have in the Book of the Revelation 
throughout is “signified,” or set forth by signs and 
symbols, and so they proceed to identify these two 
pictorial persons as two individual characters. Natu- 
rally these good brethren do not agree among them- 
selves, some thinking that these two witnesses are Noah 
and Moses, others Enoch and Moses, and still others 
Enoch and Elijah. There are a few of them who 
think that the two witnesses are Moses and Daniel. 
Now suppose these two witnesses to be Noah and 
Moses. ‘This necessitates their coming forth to earth 
and dying here on this globe a second time, which is 
flatly contradicted (Heb. 9: 27), where we are told 
“It is appointed unto men once to die.”’ Then suppose 
these witnesses to be Enoch and Elijah. These 
two servants of God went to heaven clothed with 
immortality without passing through the event of 
physical death. They have been in their glorified 
bodies for millenniums. Are they to return to mortality, 
come back to earth in the flesh and then die a physical 
death? It is preposterous to think of it, and it is con- 
trary to the general teaching of Scripture upon the 
subject of both mortality and immortality. These two 
witnesses are not any two individuals whatsoever. 

Now we are distinctly told in this passage who these 
witnesses are. Alluding to these symbolic characters, 
the passage says (v. 4), “ These are the two olive 
trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God 


sath, 


te an ou, 


152 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


of the earth.” In practically all of the books I have 
read on this passage, none of them attempt to explain 
this verse. ‘The witnesses are named for us here by 
an Old Testament piece of symbolism. It is well to 
know the Old Testament when attempting to under- 
stand and explain these pictures. ‘This complex figure 
is taken from the fourth chapter of Zachariah (vs. 3, 
12). You will find ‘in that chapter, that the prophet 
had a vision, and in that vision there was one candle- 
stick, and on the left and right of it, there stood two 
living, fruit-bearing olive trees. On the top of the 
central shaft of the candlestick was a large golden bowl 
into which the oil flowed from the two olive trees 
through two golden tubes. From the great golden 
bowl, the oil flowed through golden tubes, seven in 
number, to the seven branches, and as a result light 


_ was given and the darkness around about dissipated. 
_ | In the vision of Zachariah, the candlestick represented 


the Jewish nation restored and giving forth the knowl- 
edge of God to the nations round about. The olive 
trees set forth two individuals, Joshua the Priest, and 
Zerubbabel the Prince, who ministered to the Jewish 
people at that time, just as the two olive trees emptied 
the oil out of themselves into the bowl of the candle- 
sticks. The oil which supplied the candlestick with 
light and power represented the Holy Spirit in His * 
work through Joshua and Zerubbabel, in and for the 
nation at that time. The vision of Z&chariah gave 
colour and form to the vision of John on the Island 
of Patmos. i 

In the vision of Zachariah, there was one candle- 


' stick of seven branches; in the vision of John on Pat- 
mos, there were two candlesticks, the one representing 


the Jewish, and the other representing the Gentile 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 153 


Christians, joined into one to give forth the light of 
the knowledge of God in this age of darkness. This 
double aspect of witness-bearing perfectly agrees with 
what we have seen before where Jewish Christians are 
presented as the sealed ones, and the Gentile Christians 
as the redeemed ones. We will find a little later that 
Jewish Christians are spoken of as “ saints ”’ while Gen- 
tile Christians are presented as ‘them that fear my 
name.’ God’s witnesses have nearly always appeared 
in pairs, like Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, 
Ezekiel and Daniel, and Joshua and Zerubbabel. What 
was true in this respect in the Old Testament was true 
also in the New Testament when they went forth two 
by two. ‘Two witnesses, one supporting the other, al- 
ways gave forth a trustworthy and confirmed testi- 
mony. ‘The two witnesses here are not only the two 
candlesticks, but the two candlesticks united to the two 
olive trees from which they received their supply of 
oil, even the Holy Spirit. The olive trees stand for 
Priesthood and Princehood, and to-day both of these 
functions are in Christ at the right hand of the Fa- 
ther, through Whom, and because of Whom God sends 
down to us the olive oil of the Holy Ghost. Christ is 
both Priest and Prince. Who are these two witnesses ? 
Not any two individuals now, but the Church on éarth 
throughout this age, composed both of saved Jews and 
Gentiles united 1 to Christ by the goldénttibés 6f faith, 
our High Priest-and-our- High ‘Prifites’"The-two wit- 
nesses then, at that time in John’s vision, prefigured 
millions of beaeridiate saved and sanctified, with Christ 
their Head, and the Holy Spirit their Power. 

3. Not only have we here the time of the two 
witnesses, and the identity of the two witnesses, but 
we have the peculiar Dress of the two witnesses as 


ee 


154 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


well. It says that they were “clothed in sackcloth.” 
In the Revelation, we have much about white robes; 
here is something about black robes. We read about 
the sun becoming as black as sackcloth of hair (6: 12). 
Sackcloth was made from the hair of goats and camels 
and for that reason, it was very dark and coarse in 
texture. Sackcloth generally was the garb of the poor. 
It was the garment of mourning and sorrow also 
(Gen. 87: 34). Yes, and it was also the symbol of 
repentance (1 Kings 21:27). It was used frequently 
as the symbol of trouble in the life of the individual or 
nation (2 Kings 19: 1-3). Further, the black sack- 
cloth dress was used as a symbol of confession of sin 
(Neh. 9: 1-3; Jonah 3: 5,8). Sackcloth was the gar- 
ment of the prophets especially when they called the 
people to humiliation and repentance. Their exterior 
aspect was in keeping with their teaching. This was 
true with Elijah and John the Baptist who came in 
the Spirit and power of Elijah. 

The sackcloth garb tells us that what we are must 
be in keeping with what we teach. We must live and 
embody the truth we proclaim. In fact, much living 
and much being must precede and condition little speak- 
ing. ‘These two witnesses, prefiguring the Church on 
earth, incarnated within themselves what they proph- 
esied. If we proclaim truth, we must first live the 
truth. If we proclaim holiness, we must first be holy. 
If we proclaim love, we must first love. If we 
prophesy honesty, we must be honest, and if we pro- 
claim repentance from sin we must ourselves repent 
from sin, and abhor it with an utter hatred. Oh! 
That the whole Church would clothe herself within the 
soul more and more with sackcloth. A consciousness 
of sin and failure would provide such a garb. Then 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 155 


she would have power when she stood forth to give 
testimony by the word of mouth. 

4, This leads us to think of the Power of the Two 
Witnesses. The angel said, “ And I will give power 
unto my two witnesses,” and it says further down, 
“These have power.” The power they possessed and 
exercised they received from the Divine Messenger. 
To set forth this power in operation, John again finds 
his illustrations all in the Old Testament. These wit- 
nesses first have the power of judicial testimony. 
“Fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth 
their enemies.” In this illustration, Elijah and the 
three companions of Daniel are before us. At the 
command of Elijah fire descended from heaven and 
consumed the two captains and their fifties (2 Kings 
1: 10, 12), and the companions of Daniel were not 
only left unharmed amidst the flames, but the fire 
leaped out upon and slew the men by whom they had 
been cast into the furnace (Dan. 3: 32). The preach- 
ing of Jeremiah was like fire proceeding from his 
mouth (Jer. 5:14; 23:29). As fire warms, illumi- 
nates, beautifies, and destroys, so the Word of the 
Lord when presented through the testimony of men and 
women under the power of the Holy Spirit, warms, 
illuminates, beautifies, purifies and destroys. The 
Word of God is in opposition to all enemies of God 
and of His people. The power to cause fire to proceed 
from the mouth, is the power of effective testimony. 
The Church has had this power right down through 
the age. 

Further, these Two Witnesses had power to shut 
heaven that it rain not during the days of their 
prophecy. The days of their prophecy is this dispen- 
sation. In this reference again, Elijah is before us. 


156 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


He prayed, and it rained not, and he prayed again and 
it rained, and the land was saved (1 Kings 18: 42-46; 
James 5:17). The power to shut and to open heaven 
at will is the Power of Prayer. This power also the 
Church has had by the Spirit for two thousand years. 

Again, these witnesses had power over water, to 
turn it into blood, and to smite the earth with every 
plague as often as they shall desire. We are reminded 
here of Moses, who, at the command of God, turned 
the waters of Egypt into blood. What was this power? 
Read the story as we have it in Exodus, and it will 
be made plain that the power by which Moses turned 
the waters of Egypt into blood was the power of 
obedient faith in the mighty God of Jacob. Here we 
have the threefold power granted to the Church, the 
power of effective Testimony, the power of prevailing 
Prayer, and the power of obedient Faith, teaching us, 
and teaching all believers that the God of Moses and 
Elijah and Daniel is unchangeable and lives to-day. 
This threefold power is at the command not only of 
the Church as a whole, but at the command of every 
individual believing Christian. 

5. We must now notice the Testimony of these 
Two Witnesses who set forth the company of the saved 
on earth in this age. “And when they shail have 
finished their testimony.” ‘The finishing of their Testi- 
mony does not only look to the end of the days of 
their preaching and prophesying, but to the full- 
rounded character and completeness of the great mes- 
sage they deliver. To finish a thing, is to complete 
fully its accomplishment. It is to do completely what 
we are-commanded. In His great intercessory prayer, 
Jesus said to the Father, ‘I have finished the work 
which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4). And 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 157 


again on the cross, next to the last word uttered by 
the Lord, He shouted, “It is finished” (John 19: 30). 
In all of these passages the same word is used. In the 
one before us, the thought is that of telling the truth, 
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When 
this is done, there is a full and well-balanced presenta- 
tion of testimony. This is the kind of testimony that 
the redeemed of the Lord are to give in the days dur- 
ing which they live. It can be said truthfully that in 
every moment of the history of the true Church of 
Christ this full and complete testimony has been given, 
now by this company of believers, and now by that, 
so that the world is without excuse. 

A full testimony will always include the character 
of God as holy, just, true, loving, powerful, and merci- 
ful. It will include a positive faith in the preéxistence, 
proper deity, sinless character, sacrificial death, glori- 
ous resurrection, ascension, session and coming again 
of our Lord. Yes, and it will include a clear presenta- 
tion of the total depravity and corruption of human 
nature, and, on account of sin, the judgment of God 
upon that nature. It will include also a definite mes- 
sage about heaven and about hell. When this full 
message is delivered in faith, and experienced in the 
life of the witnesses, it will torment the ungodly just 
as here predicted. It will disclose the fact that all 
men, irrespective of colour, race, social status, educa- 
tion, age, and even religion, must be born from above. 
When such a testimony is delivered by the Church in 
all places and to all peoples, it testifies to the failure 
of human nature to obtain eternal life under the law, 
and writes the sentence of death upon human nature, 
and this, the ungodly world hates with an extreme 
hatred. Opposition to it will be therefore aroused, 


a tssrceeeiees 


Pee 


158 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


with the result that the Church is persecuted even unto 
death by “those who dwell upon the earth.” Many 
samples of this from history could be presented, and 
perhaps the reader will recall some for himself. 

6. It is of interest also to notice the Treatment 
accorded to the Two Witnesses as presented in this 
symbol. The passage says, “And when they shall 
have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth 
out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, 
and shall overcome them and kill them. And their 
dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, 
which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where 
also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people 
and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their 
dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer 
their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that 
dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make 
merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because 
these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the 
earth.” Here we have presented in a pictorial man- 
ner, the dire fate of the two witnesses. ‘Their treat- 
ment in the picture is the treatment that the true 
Church of God has received from certain quarters 
throughout this entire dispensation. This ill treatment 
of the two witnesses comes from two different sources. 
It first comes.from_ the beast that ascendeth out of the 
bottomless pit. This is the first. time ‘the beast is 
mentioned in the Book of the Revelation. All we 


have about him here is his origin, and his malignant 


hate of the two witnesses. We will meet him again 
in chapters thirteen and seventeen, where we will see 
that he is the concentrated power of the world system 
federated under, and dominated by Satan. This beast 
is not an individual, but millions upon millions of in- 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 159 


dividuals under the principles of world government, 
estranged from God and rebellious against Him. This 
wild beast, or world government, makes war against 
these two witnesses, overcomes them, and kills them. 
The witnesses are taken advantage of in their weakness 
and fear, and are hated because of the testimony they 
deliver. This is exactly what the world government, 
organized on the basis of force and selfishness, has 
been doing with the true people of God right up to 
the present. This is the significance of the massacres 
in Armenia, and the great persecution of God’s people 
now in Russia. The world power never was a friend 
to Christ and His people, and it never will be. Christ 
testifies against the world power by His teaching, by 
the life He lived, by the Resurrection He experienced, 
and by His Ascension to glory. 

Not only have we the Treatment accorded these 
two witnesses by the beast of world power, but we 
have also their treatment at the hands of “the great 
city.’ ‘There are some who think that this great city 
is Jerusalem, not the earthly Jerusalem as it has been 
but the Jerusalem as it will be when restored in the 
future. “The great city” is no more a literal city 
than is the beast who ascended out of the bottomless 
pit. The title, “the great city,” is used no less than 
eight times elsewhere in this Book, of Babylon (14: 8; 
POLO 215 ol 810, 11 6518).19) 21). By a care- 
ful examination of these passages, it will be clear that 
the reference is not even to literal Babylon, but ex- 
clusively to mystical Babylon. You will notice in our 
passage that this “great city” is “spiritually,” or 
symbolically, called Sodom, for sensuality and im- 
morality; Egypt, for its tyranny and oppression; and 
Babylon now for its confusion, heresy and malignity. 


160 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


Babylon was famous for its enmity against the na- 
tional people of God. 

Further, it says that this “ great city ” is also “ where 
our Lord was crucified.” From this, many think that 
the literal Jerusalem, either past, or to be restored, is 
the great city to which allusion is made. But not so. 
There is a city now-on earth where our Lord is being 
ritualistically crucified, and that universally and con- 
tinuously. This great city on earth now boasts of 
having no less than four hundred and fifty thousand 
altars scattered over the face of the globe, and every 
time “ the Sacrifice of the Mass ”’ is “said” or ‘‘ sung,” 
Christ is actually crucified. They exhibit the bread 
which they say is the actual flesh of Christ, and the 
wine which they claim is the actual blood of Christ. 
As these altars are in every country in the world, and 
as “masses” are sung at every one of these altars, and 
that at different times of both day and night, it is 
claimed by the “great city”’ that the crucifixion of 
Christ is universal and continuous. This is “ the great 
city ’ referred to in the vision, and it is clear we have 
that immoral, oppressive, degenerate, apostate church 
before us. This city is great in number. It now has, 
including the Greek Catholic Church, and all apostate 
Protestant churches, between three and four hundred 
millions of people on the earth. It is also great in 
extent, in that it has spread over the whole face of 
the globe. Further, it is great in wealth because it is 
claimed to-day that the Roman Catholic Church holds 
the balance of the wealth of the world. It is great in 
influence, for we know how the apostate church has 
dominated world powers and directed them by formu- 
lating their laws, and promulgating them. 

But how does this great city treat the Two Wit- 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 161 


nesses? The Two Witnesses are represented as being 
conquered and killed by the world power, and their 
dead bodies cast out into the “street ’’ of “the great 
city,” and denied burial for three days and a half. It 
is of interest to note the “street”? or “ broadway ” in 
this great city, and compare it with the “street” or 
“broadway ” in the Holy City as given us in the last 
part of this Book (21: 21; 22:2). ‘“ The great city” 
had a street or broadway, and “ the Holy City,” repre- 
senting the true Church, has a “street’’ or “ broad- 
way.’ In the street of the great city we see darkness, 
death, revelry, and merrymaking of different kinds. 
We see the citizens of “the great city” fraternizing 
with the ungodly peoples of the earth. In the “ street ” 
or “ broadway ” of the Holy City, we see gold, speak- 
ing of wealth, of true riches, of beauty and brilliance. 
We see the Throne of God and the Lamb, and we also 
see the Tree of Life bearing twelve manner of fruits 
each year, and providing shelter, food and healing for 
its citizens. In the broadway of the great city, there 
is death and decay; in the broadway of the Holy City, 
there is life, growth and happiness. What are these 
broadways? What are these streets? Have we got 
them on earth to-day? I think we have. All large 
oriental cities, in ancient times especially, had great 
broadways, and these broadways were the places of 
public assembly. It was in these broadways where 
the leaders of the people delivered their messages, and 
where they harangued the populace. The broadways 
of ‘the great city,” or the degenerate church are their 
places of public assembly and gathering. It is where 
their leaders, the priests and others, celebrate the 
masses, deliver their addresses, and harangue the peo- 
ple. But “the Holy City,” the true Church of Christ 


162 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


on earth, also has her broadways, her public places of 
assembly. It is in those places where you will see 
the Tree of Life which provides food, shelter, and heal- 
ing for the people. Yes, and it is in those broadways 
where you will see the River of Life flowing. 

What was done with the bodies of these Two Wit- 
nesses who represent the true Church? They were cast 
out into “ the street’’ or broadway of the great city, 
and there they were left exposed to the elements, and 
exposed to the vision of the citizens of that city, and 
also of the ungodly who dwelt upon the earth. To 
cast dead bodies out into the open street after this 
manner, to deny them burial, and to make merry over 
them, was to treat them with utter contumely, or to 
insult them in every possible manner, and to the great- 
est possible degree. Has not the true Church of Christ, 
the true people of God been insulted, persecuted, and 
held up to ridicule in every possible way in the public 
gatherings of the apostate church? ‘This is going on 
in this very moment in many parts of the world. It 
almost staggers us to think that the true people of 
God receive such treatment from the false people of 
God, and were it not that history testifies to the truth- 
fulness and aptness of this figure, one would be prone 
to doubt it. Here we have the degenerate church in- 
viting the godless world to celebrate a feast in their 
open broadway, over the dead bodies of the Witnesses 
of Christ, and the godless world accepting that invita- 
tion. Here we have also the degenerate church ac- 
commodating herself to the ways of the godless world, 
and the latter giving hasty and glad welcome to that 
accommodation. ‘To many, this picture may seem too 
terrible to be true. Has the false church never become 
the world with the plea to win the world? Has the 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 163 


world never been won by the false church? Has it 
never been dominated by the false church? Has the 
world never turned to hate the false church and to cast 
her off? History is full of such, and much of it is 
going on to-day. It is no wonder that the true people 
of God suffer such at the hands of the false church 
because the testimony of the true Church always works 
pain and punishment within her conscience. The treat- 
ment accorded the Two Witnesses in this vision by the 
beast and “the great city” is a prefiguration of the 
treatment that the apostate church and the godless 
world has accorded the true people of God from the 
inception of the true Church right down to the pres- 
ent. Think of an institution bearing the name of 
a “Christian Church” being yoked up with a wild 
anonymous Beast as we have them united here in this 
picture! 

7. Finally, in this vision we have the ultimate Glory 
of these Two Witnesses presented. Their ultimate 
glory is to be the ultimate glory of the true Church. 
This is given to us in the following words: “ And after 
three days and an half, the Spirit of life from God 
entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and 
great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they 
heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, 
Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in 
_a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” The Two 
Witnesses suffered much, and as a reward for their 
patient endurance, they are to reign triumphantly in 
glory. The Spirit of life entered into them, and as a 
result of His mighty operating power, they stood upon 
their feet. In a previous vision in this Book, Christ, 
once crucified, is risen and standing upon His feet. 
The witnesses are not to be behind their Lord in this 


164 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


respect. In their standing upon their feet, we have 
their resurrection from the dead. For the Church of 
God, this part of the vision has not yet been fulfilled 
in history, but it is coming, for the apostle said (1 
Cor. 15: 51-54), “‘ Behold, I show you a mystery; we 
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; 
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be 
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For 
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this 
mortal must put on immortality. So when this cor- 
ruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal 
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to 
pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up 
in victory.” 

“And great fear fell upon all them that saw them.” 
This will be true also in the future when the saved 
dead are raised into life, and they appear on earth 
in their glorified forms. After their resurrection, the 
Two Witnesses experienced their rapture to heaven in 
clouds. Our Lord went home to glory in clouds, and 
the true Church of Christ will not be behind Him in 
this respect either. This again is what the Apostle 
Paul pledged for the Church by the Holy Spirit (1 
Thess. 4: 16, 17), “ For the Lord Himself shall descend 
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch- 
angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in 
Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and re- 
main shall be caught up together with them in the 
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we 
ever be with the Lord.” ‘They were caught up as the 
Church will be caught up, to sit down with their con- 
quering Redeemer upon His throne, even as He con- 
quered and sat down with the Father upon His throne. 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 165 


Note that all of this is represented as taking place 
in the presence of the enemies of the two witnesses, and 
that when they saw it, great fear fell upon them, so 
that they, like the “remnant,” were seriously af- 
frighted. What would it mean now should the resur- 
rection, transformation and rapture of the true Church 
take place, and that in the presence of the two great 
enemies of the Church? It would mean for one thing, 
that the apostate church and the ungodly world would 
be openly convicted by God for their unbelief, hatred, 
and persecution of the Lord’s true people. It would 
mean also that the true Church herself, caught up to 
meet the Lord in the air, and transformed in body, is 
justified and honoured by the Lord before the degen- 
erate church, and the ungodly world, even as the Man 
Child (Jesus) was caught up unto God and His throne 
from before the dragon, standing ready to destroy the 
Man Child as soon as born. The day is coming when 
God will deliver and transfigure His suffering Church 
from the false church, and from the ungodly world. 
For ages, the true Church has sent up the cry, “O 
Lord God, how long?” 

The vision concludes by stating that when the Two 
Witnesses were raptured into the glory, in that very 
hour was there a great earthquake. As I said several 
times before, an earthquake is always a symbol of 
great commotion in the national and social order. The 
Two Witnesses have gone to glory, and all who are 
left are the citizens of “ the great city’ and those who 
dwell upon the earth, or the ungodly. They are filled 
with fear and dread concerning what is to come upon 
them. What if the true Church should be caught away 
now? Would there be great commotion in the earth? 
Doubtless there would be, and doubtless there will be 


166 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


when this great and glorious event takes place. But 
seemingly they do not wait very long, for we are told 
that one-tenth of the city fell, that is, “the great 
city’ or the false church. In symbolism, one-tenth 
represented all. When the two witnesses went up, the 
great city went down. When the true Church of 
Christ goes up to glory, the false church of Satan will 
go down to death and destruction. The passage also 
says that seven thousand men perished in the earth- 
quake. Seven thousand stands for the complete num- 
ber, and so not only have we here the downfall of the 
false church but we have the destruction of the un- 
godly world as well. These two events will come to 
pass when the true Church is raptured into glory. 
Think now of “the glory which shall be revealed in 
us’”’ then! 


Ten thousand times ten thousand, 
In sparkling raiment bright, 
The armies of the ransomed saints 
Throng up the steeps of light: 
*Tis finished, all is finished, 
Their fight with death and sin; 
Fling open wide the golden gates, 
And let the victors in. 


What rush of hallelujahs 
Fills all the earth and sky! 
What ringing of a thousand harps 
Bespeaks the triumph nigh! 
O day for which creation 
And all its tribes were made! 
O joy, for all its former woes 
A thousandfold repaid! 


O then what raptured greetings 
On Canaan’s happy shore, 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


What knitted severed friendships up, 
Where partings are no more! 
Then eyes with joy shall sparkle 
That brimmed with tears of late; 
Orphans no longer fatherless, 
Nor widows desolate. 


Bring near Thy great salvation, 
Thou Lamb for sinners slain; 
Fill up the roll of Thine elect, 
Then take Thy power and reign; 
Appear, Desire of nations, 
Thine exiles long for home; 
Show in the heavens Thy promised sign; 
Thou Prince and Saviour, come. 


167 


3,1) 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS (Concluded) 
REVELATION II: 14-19 


P “HE blowing of the Seventh Trumpet is a call 
to repentance in view of the judgment to 
come. ‘There are several things to notice 

here before we make a particular study of the full 
message announced, the first being that the events pre- 
figured under this trumpet do not accompany the events 
under the sixth trumpet, but follow upon their fulfill- 
ment in history. It is distinctly stated at the con- 
clusion of the sixth trumpet blast, ‘‘ The second woe 
is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.” 
The second thing to observe is that the Seventh Trum- 
pet is the Last Trumpet so often referred to by the 
sacred writers and by the Saviour Himself. The 
Saviour said (Matt. 24: 31), “ And He shall send His 
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall 
gather together His elect from the four winds, from 
one end of heaven to the other.” The seventh trumpet 
therefore brings to our serious and earnest attention 
the consummation of all things, according to the Divine 
plan, in the history of the race. This means that all 
the events prefigured and foreannounced under this 
trumpet, in the history of the race, lay yet in the 
future. 

We should also notice that what is given here is 
mere outline—a rehearsal in brief of what is subse- 
quently given in detail. The events thus “ signified ” 

168 





SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 169 


evidently will not transpire in a moment of time, for 
in the tenth chapter (v. 7) we read about “the days ” 
of the seventh trumpet. Within the events of the 
seventh trumpet, “ Days” are included. What meas- 
ure of days or how many of them, we are not told. 
The one “ day of salvation” is now about two thou- 
sand years in length. At any rate, by “ days,” we are 
led to think of a considerable indefinite period of time 
as being specifically indicated. Under the fifth and 
sixth trumpets, periods of time were symbolized by 
“five months ” and “ an hour, and a day, and a month, 
and a year.” We may safely conclude from this and 
other passages of Scripture relating to the same sub- 
ject, that the future judgment work of God will not 
transpire in a moment, but will cover a considerable 
period. 

Under this trumpet blast, there are at least seven 
things to observe in particular. We will take them 
up one by one as they appear in other passages, and 
in this vision. 

1. The first thing to notice in particular is that in 
the time indicated by the Last Trumpet, the Mystery 
of God will be finished. This is plainly set before us 
in the tenth chapter (v. 7) where it clearly says, “In 
the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he 
shall begin to sound, the Mystery of God shall be 
finished, as He hath declared to His servants the 
prophets.” A Biblical Mystery is a fact, or truth, 
of experience or history which is discoverable only 
by Divine Revelation. There are many such mysteries 
mentioned in the Bible, three of which are named in 
the Revelation. In the first chapter (1: 20), we have 
the mystery of the seven stars, the Church on the 
heavenly side of her character and function, and the 


170 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


mystery of the seven candlesticks, the Church on the 
earthly side of her character and function. In the 
seventeenth chapter (vs. 5, 7), we have the Mystery of 
Babylon, which is the false ecclesiastical system in 
the earth, and here we have the mystery of God. In 
the New Testament elsewhere, we have two divine se- 
crets as “the Mystery of God,” the one being Christ 
Himself, the incarnate fullness of God embodied, in 
Whom is the totality of all wisdom and knowledge 
(Col. 2:2, 3), and the true Church made up of all 
those into whose lives Christ has had a personal and 
spiritual advent, in the experience of the new birth 
(Col. 1: 24-26). We are informed that in the past 
ages, this Mystery of the Church, as an elect body, 
was concealed from the eyes and minds of men, but 
is now revealed to God’s spiritual people (Col. 1: 26; 
Rom. 16: 25-26). The ‘“ Mystery of God” in our 
theme is the Church, made up of saved men and women 
of all ages, dead and living, who are both the subjects 
and objects of redeeming grace. This Church, through- 
out the old dispensation, was concealed. In this dis- 
pensation, she is revealed, and in a “ little while,” when 
the last one of the elect in Christ shall be brought in, 
then she shall be “ finished,” and when she is finished, 
the last trumpet will begin to pour forth its long, re- 
sounding, and reverberating blast. Then Christ will 
present the “ finished Church ” unto Himself, sanctified 
and cleansed, not having spot nor wrinkle, nor any 
such thing, but holy and entirely without blemish 
(Eph. 5: 26, 27). 

2. Another thing to notice is that in the time in- 
dicated under the blowing of the seventh trumpet, the 
Resurrection of the Dead will take place. It is to this 
that the apostle referred (1 Cor. 15: 51, 52), when 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 171 


he said, “ Behold, I shall show you a Mystery; we 
shall not all sleep, but we all shall be changed, in 
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 
trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall 
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 
Again the same apostle said, “ The Lord Himself shall 
descend fromheaven . . . with the trump of God, 
and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” I shall not 
go into the particulars of Biblical teaching upon the 
subject of the Resurrection here, for it has been dealt 
with in my book entitled ‘ Our Glorious Hope.” This 
only would I say at this point, that in the period in- 
dicated under the blowing of the seventh trumpet, this 
world will have “ the time (or age) of the dead” with 
all that is included within that profound reference. 
Our Lord said (John 5:28, 29) to His bewildered 
and imperfectly taught disciples when speaking of the 
judgment, “ Marvel not at this: for the hour is com- 
ing, in which ALL that are in the grave shall hear 
His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done 
good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have 
done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.” The 
“hour ” to which Christ referred is the period of time 
specified and prophesied under our vision. 

3. Again, this vision teaches that within the period 
indicated by the Last Trumpet, this world will un- 
dergo a radical change of government (v.15). When 
the seventh messenger sounded, there were mysterious 
voices in the heavenly realm which joined in one great 
and continuous shout saying, “ The kingdoms of this 
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of 
His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” In 
the American Revised Version it is the singular 
“kingdom,” and not the plural “kingdoms,” making 


172 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


it read thus: “ The kingdom of the world is become 
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He 
shall reign forever and ever.” In the Weymouth 
translation, the passage is rendered after this fashion, 
“The sovereignty of the world now belongs to our 
Lord and His Christ; and He will be King until the 
Ages of the Ages.?? The word “kingdom” means 
rule, dominion, sovereignty, government. The earth 
kingdoms or governments, looking at them from the 
human side, are many, but the Kingdom, rule, or 
government of Christ, looked at from the Divine side, 
is one, indivisible and eternal. Not yet has the sov- 
ereignty of this world become the Lord’s. All earthly 
governments from the beginning of the race until now 
are represented in the Scriptures as wild beasts of prey, 
having no lawful owner nor control, and full of de- 
structive savageness and offensive uncleanness. But 
in the future, at the time when the events prefigured 
here will become history, there will be a new Sov- 
ereignty which will be absolute in its character, uni- 
versal in its extent, eternal in its duration, not devel- 
oped from below, but enforced with sudden and re- 
sistless power from above. It is true that God is now 
King in the universe, and that sovereignty He has 
given to His Son, Jesus Christ. The Son has that 
sovereignty now potentially, but He is not exercising 
it to the full as yet. By and by He will enforce His 
sovereignty over this earth, and when He does, He will 
establish a government in this earth based on absolute 
righteousness, and made effective by His omnipotent 
might, which will break in pieces all other governments, 
consume all other kingdoms, and stand unshaken for 
eternity. When this kingdom is established and mani- 
fested over the earth, righteous laws will be broken 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 173 


and changed no more. When Christ takes His Throne, 
and sways His scepter, there will be an empire of sin- 
less, deathless life and peace to the ages of the ages. 
All world government now will then become the gov- 
ernment of our Lord and of His Christ. We hail the 
day! 

4, Again, in the period indicated by the Last Trum- 
pet, the Church militant will become the Church 
Triumphant (16, 17). ‘And the four and twenty 
elders which sat before God on their seats, fell upon 
their faces, and worshipped God saying, We give Thee 
thanks, O Lord God Almighty which art, and wast, and 
art to come, because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great 
power and hast reigned.” The words “and art to 
come ”’ are left out by the Revised Version, the reason 
being, first, that they are not found in any of the 
ancient manuscripts, and because, when this point shall 
be reached in the history of the race, God will be no 
longer the One “ to come,” for He will then be already 
“come.” ‘The elders represent the saved of the Lord 
on earth of all time, living and working for Christ. 
There never was a time in the history of the Kingdom 
of God when there were no elders on the earth. At 
times, they were very few in number, and very weak in 
character and social status, but God has always had 
His people here, and He will have them here until the 
end. A time is coming when all the saved and sancti- 
fied of earth will become the transfigured and glorified 
in heaven. Under the dispensation of law, prior to the 
first advent of Christ, the elders fell down before 
the thrice holy God and worshipped Him. that liveth 
forever and ever, saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, 
to receive glory and honour and power; for Thou hast 
created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are, and 


174 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


were created” (4: 10, 11). The elders in the old dis- 
pensation sang the old song, the theme of which was 
Creation. In that song, they thought of the power 
and the wisdom of God. When Christ went home on 
high in His glorious Ascension, and took the Book of 
History out of the hand of Him who sat upon the 
throne, the elders again fell down, but this time, not so 
much before God the Creator, but before the Lamb, the 
Redeemer, and they sang the new song, saying (5: 9, 
10), “ Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open 
the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain and hast re- 
deemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred 
and tongue and people and nation; and hast made us 
unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on 
the earth.” 

‘Under the old dispensation, it was the song of Crea- 
tion; under this dispensation, it is the song of Re- 
demption. This is the song that the saints both in 
heaven and earth sing, at the present. When the 
elders fell down before the Lamb, they expressed their 
adoring sense of the Redeemer’s worthiness, because 
He had prevailed in death and resurrection, exulting 
in the prospect of full deliverance achieved and en- 
joyed; but here in our vision, they are not thinking of 
Creation finished, and Redemption in prospect, but of 
the whole issue reached, the blessed consummation 
come, the thing of hope for all ages, now a realized 
fact both in experience and history. Hence, the Lord 
God Almighty, which art, and wast, is no longer the 
One to come, for He has already truly and fully come 
in His power, Person, Wisdom, and Grace. Divine 
righteousness is not fully manifested nor established 
among men yet. It is far from it. The power of 
Satan is not fully overthrown. The great Redemption 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 175 


wrought out by God through His Son Jesus Christ, is 
not yet fully manifested. In the future, it will be 
fully established, and that when the age comes indi- 
cated by the blast of the Last Trumpet. At that time, 
sin and Satan will be forever banished from the uni- 
verse of God, and the “ finished ” Church militant, re- 
deemed and glorified, will become the Church Trium- 
phant. When that time arrives, the great body of be- 
lievers will keep their royal seats no longer, but will 
cover their faces in reverence and humility, and pour 
out of their hearts a song of grateful, adoring, and 
exultant thanks. 

5. Once more we notice that in the Age indicated 
by the blast of the Last Trumpet, the Judgment will 
take place. ‘And the nations were angry, and Thy 
wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they 
should be judged, and that Thou shouldst give reward 
unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints and 
them that fear Thy name, small and great; and 
shouldst destroy them that destroy the earth.” Here 
are several classes mentioned, the first being the “ na- 
tions.” When God’s righteous wrath is visited upon 
the nations, as it will be, instead of repenting and 
bowing in humble submission unto God, the nations 
will become angry with God, and stubbornly rebel 
against Him. The nations now are angry with God, 
and rebel against Him, but they will become more 
angry with Him, and more stubbornly rebel against 
Him when He appears unto them in His wrath. It 
will be the time when their judgment will take place. 
The ‘‘ dead” are also mentioned here. It will be the 
time when their judgment will take place. When hu- 
mans die and their bodies waste away in the earth, 
that is not the last of them. They live even though 


176 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


they have died, and one day they shall come forth to 
give an account of the deeds done in the body. Later 
in this book (20: 12, 13), John saw the dead stand 
before God. ‘They had come forth in resurrection 
from the sea, the earth, death, and hades, small and 
great of all classes, all ages, all colours, all nations, 
and of both sexes, and they were judged every one 
of them according to their works. . There is to be, then, 
a resurrection even of the wicked. None shall escape 
that resurrection. They who by self-murder put an 
end to their life here, resolving not to live any longer, 
must still live and take the judgment of God for all 
their deeds, and according to this picture, the time 
when this will take place will be “in the days of the 
voice of the seventh angel.” 

Not only will the nations and the dead be judged 
in those ‘ days,”’ but God’s servants, the prophets, shall 
be rewarded as well for faithful service rendered. 
“ And that Thou shouldst give reward unto Thy serv- 
ants, the prophets, and to the saints, and them that 
fear Thy name, small and great.” It is interesting to 
note always, in each case, how God’s people are de- 
scribed in the Book of the Revelation. ‘They have 
many titles and they are all very significant. Here 
they are spoken of as “ Servants’’ because purchased, 
possessed, and sealed for safety on into eternity. I 
say again that the Revelation is a servant’s book. 
They are also called “ prophets,” this being primarily 
a reference to the two symbolic witnesses in the previ- 
ous chapter. They are prophets not in the sense of 
having the ability and function of predicting future 
events, but prophets in the sense of forthtelling for 
the present, and in the present, the Divine message of 
Repentance and Redemption. All of God’s people are 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 177 


prophets because they forthtell the glad tidings of the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

God’s people, both as servants and prophets, are 
set forth here as “ saints,” sanctified or separated ones. 
This is a Jewish idea, and when this word is used to 
describe the people of God in the Book of the Revela- 
tion, it brings before us the Church from the Jewish 
standpoint. But the Church is not only made up of 
believing Jews. It also includes believing Gentiles, 
and hence we have the description, ‘Them that fear 
Thy name.” ‘This does not mean that the Church is 
made up of four distinct classes, servants, prophets, 
saints, and them that fear the name of the Lord. No, 
God’s people are all servants, all prophets, all saints, 
and all who love God’s holy and gracious Person with 
a filial fear. John is not thinking of two or four di- 
visions in the Church of Jesus Christ. In the true 
Church, on the Divine side, there are no divisions. 
The Church is one; and all her members constitute one 
body in Christ. He looks at the Church, though, here 
in his vision from both the Jewish and the Gentile 
side, as he does frequently throughout the Book of 
the Revelation. 

The “nations” and the “ dead” are to be judged in 
that day, while the people of God, as servants, proph- 
ets, and saints, will be rewarded for faithfulness ac- 
complished. ‘There is a difference between “ reward ”’ 
and salvation, and we must not confound the two in 
our thinking. Salvation is invariably a gift from God 
through Christ to the lost, on faith, while “ reward” 
is earned by service faithfully and lovingly rendered. 
Again, salvation is a present possession to be enjoyed 
by the believer, while reward is a future glorious dis- 
tinction to be given at the coming of the Lord. It is 


178 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


not therefore salvation, but reward that is in prospect 
for all the saints. There is no rest, no recompense, 
no hope for us here, as the people of God. For if in 
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all 
men most miserable. No intelligent Christian looks 
for his compensation in this present world. So long 
as he is in this tabernacle, he groans, being burdened, 
troubled on every side, tossed about, like the angry 
waves, distressed, perplexed, always bearing in his 
body the dying of the Lord Jesus. The only thing 
that encourages the children of God and reconciles 
them to their lot is, that they “look not at the things 
that are seen, but at the things that are not seen.” The 
saints everywhere, and at all times in history, have con- 
fessed themselves strangers and pilgrims in the earth, 
looking for a better country, believing that God is the 
rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. ‘The real- 
ization of all of the fond hopes and desires of God’s 
people in the past and now, belong to the time of the 
seventh messenger, when he shall sound. Piety here 
-and now may not pay, but it will then. All service of 
love, all pangs of sorrow, all tears of grief incurred 
for Jesus’ sake, will not fail of due recompense then: 
There are rewards in reserve for all of God’s wronged, 
maligned, hated, and insulted prophets, His patient 
servants and suffering saints. Jesus has gone to get 
them ready, and faith looks up and forward and sees 
them there, and waits for them with eager hope. 
When the time arrives, and not until then, these re- 
wards shall be given; so then shall not only the “ na- 
tions’ and the “dead” be judged in those days, but 
the people of God will be gloriously rewarded as well. 
Again in heart, we hail the day! 

6. In the time specified by the Last Trumpet, not 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 179 


only will the Mystery of God be finished, the Resurrec- 
tion take place, the Sovereignty of this world be radi- 
cally changed, the Church Militant become the Church 
Triumphant, but there will be the long promised and 
expected Revelation of God in Glory. In olden time, 
God revealed Himself in righteousness; in this time, 
God reveals Himself in mercy and grace, but in the 
future, He will discover Himself to redeemed hu- 
manity in Glory. In the first advent of Christ, the 
Grace of God was manifested; in the second advent of 
Christ, and in the ages to follow, God’s Glory will 
be manifested. The people of God now look back, and 
up to the grace, at the same time they look forward 
to the glory that shall be revealed. God, in His glory 
manifested, is again illustrated here by a symbol taken 
from the Old Testament, and that from the inner 
shrine of the temple. When the seventh messenger 
poured forth his trumpet blast, John said, ‘‘ And the 
temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was 
seen in His temple, the Ark of His Covenant.” ‘The 
Sanctuary which John saw was not the temple in 
general, but the Holy of Holies, and that not on earth, 
but in heaven. As we learned before, the heavenly 
sanctuary is not a place so much as it is a Person, and 
that Person is none other than the Lord God Almighty. 
But John looked upon that inner shrine as “ opened,” 
that is, the holy veil rolled back, and the whole interior 
of the inner shrine exposed to view. When Christ 
paid the price of human shame and sin, and brought in 
everlasting righteousness for the sinner, the veil of the 
temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, 
and rolled back, signifying that the way into the Pres- 
ence and Fellowship of God was opened. ‘That open- 
ing of the temple told of mercy toward the sinner, 


180 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


and grace for all the needy. At the rending of the 
veil when Jesus died, all the difficulties both on the 
human and Divine side, hindering man’s approach unto 
God, were dealt with and removed. At that moment, 
the great and blessed truth was foreshadowed that the 
infinitely holy God was approachable by infinitely sin- 
ful man. When in.our vision, the Seer declares that 
he saw the Inner Shrine opened, he means to tell us 
that he beheld the Glory of God in manifestation. In 
those days to which the Last Trumpet refers, the Lord 
God Almighty will be unveiled, so that the saints will 
truly see Him in His love, power, wisdom, and grace, 
as it is not possible for them to see Him now. Knowl- 
edge and realization of heavenly things belong to the 
“days” of the great consummation. In that glorious 
time, all veils will be rolled back, all mists lifted, all 
clouds dissipated, and all excluding barriers broken 
down and removed, and the Holy of Hollies, the Al- 
mighty One, will be disclosed to the vision and the © 
hearts of the redeemed. 

Not only was the temple in heaven opened, but in 
it was seen the Ark of His Testament. This, of course, 
was not the real Ark, for that was lost and destroyed 
long before this. ‘The whole Tabernacle in the wilder- 
ness was a figure of things to come (Heb. 9: 23, 24), 
and in the ministry of the Tabernacle, everything be- 
gan with and centered around the Ark, which was lo- 
cated within the Most Holy Place. In many ways, 
the Ark was a prophetic type or figure of Christ who 
was to come. It was made of acacia wood overlaid 
with pure gold which illustrated the humanity and 
the Deity of the Lord. Within the Ark, there were 
three items, the law, the hidden manna, and the rod 
that budded. In Christ, the law was incarnated while 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 181 


He became for the people their spiritual food, and 
their resurrection life. The Ark in its use was, espe- 
cially the Mercy Seat, the location of the manifested 
Presence of God. To the sinning Israelite, that Throne 
was one of grace and not of judgment, due to the fact 
that the blood of atonement had been sprinkled upon 
it. In the olden times, when man approached God, he 
began with the brazen altar, where the atonement was 
made; but when God began His approach to man, He 
always started with the Ark within the Most Holy 
Place. The Ark stood for all that God promised to 
His people. 

In the history of the Ark, we observe that a strange 
divine power always accompanied it. The waters of 
the Jordan rolled back to the right and to the left 
under the shadow of it, while the people passed over 
dry shod. The walls of Jericho fell down flat in their 
places on the approach of that holy piece of furniture. 
When the Ark set forward, the enemies of God and 
His people were scattered. When the Ark rested, the 
people were safe and happy. The Ark of the Testa- 
ment, as seen in this vision, tells of the speedy fulfill- 
ment of all the promises of God. God engaged Him- 
self to do certain things for the earth and the race, 
and He has been doing them, and is doing them, but 
in the future He will put forth His power and fulfill 
all that He has pledged to accomplish. As a sign of 
this, the Ark, a symbol of His promises, appears. 
God’s promises, all of them, without one exception, as 
spoken through prophets and apostles, since time began, 
will be fulfilled according to the oath sworn by Him- 
self. 

7. In conclusion, we are instructed in this piece of 
complex symbolism, that the age, yet future, indicated 


182 SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 


by the last trumpet, will be a period during which 
absolute and judicial righteousness will be established 
and enforced over the face of the whole earth, and 
throughout the entire universe of God. This is the 
significance of the words, ‘‘ And there were lightnings 
and voices and thunderings and an earthquake, and 
great hail.” This is a description of a great storm 
when the sky flashes with electric fires, when there are 
mysterious rumblings of inarticulate voices, when the 
air above and around us is filled with thunder, and 
when the earth trembles and quakes beneath our feet. 
It sets before us a time when the clouds are driven 
hither and yon with irresistible power, the wild winds 
rush and scream with noisy fury, and great death- 
dealing hailstones are driven down upon the earth. 
Several times in the Revelation is this storm men- 
tioned, but it is not until we reach this vision that the 
climax is attained. As indicated in the fourth chapter 
(v. 4), in the ages prior to the ascension of Christ, 
there were those judgment symptoms, but only three 
of them, lightnings, thunders, and voices, are men- 
tioned. The people of God on earth had: the storms 
of judgment under law. In the present dispensation, 
from its beginning to now, the judgment storms of 
God have been in and over the earth (8:5). When 
the Messenger Christ sent down to earth the fire of 
the Holy Spirit following upon that act, and con- 
tinuing to the present, there have been voices and 
thunderings and lightnings, and with them, added an 
earthquake. The judgments of God in the earth 
throughout this age, because of increased light and 
privilege, have been greater and more general than the 
judgments of God on the earth under the old dispen- 
sation. 


SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS 183 


Here, in our passage, not only did the Seer look 
upon the flashing lightning and hear the voices and the 
thunders, but he felt the earthquake as well, and was 
glad in soul that he was safe from the driving and 
death-dealing hailstones. In this storm, we see God 
breaking through to the people. He has risen up from 
His secret place and made Himself visible. The Ark 
of the Covenant is seen to give joy and hope to the 
parties in the Divine agreement, and the terrible storm 
in lower nature breaks forth to tell of God’s righteous 
anger upon His enemies. The “ days,” indicated by 
the trumpet blast of the seventh angel, will be terrible 
days for the wicked, as well as happy and hopeful 
days for those who now believe in Christ unto the 
salvation of their souls. Happy will they be, who, 
when the last trumpet sounds, shall be found of God 
in Christ. The Last Trumpet calls for repentance 
from sin unto God in view of the judgment to come. 
Let us pray: 


Jesus, do Thou mine eyes unseal, 

And let them grow 

Quick to discern whate’er Thou dost reveal, 
So shall I be delivered from that woe 

Blindly to stray 

Through hopeless night while all around is day. 


XII 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 
REVELATION 12 


In the twenty-first chapter we have the Bride, the 

Lamb’s Wife. She is first an army, then a city 
and then a woman. We will see more of her when 
we reach the study of that chapter. She is not a real 
but a parabolic, or symbolic woman, representing a 
people, a polity, a system, an organism, or a spiritual 
race. She is the true Church of God, the mystical 
Body of Christ. In the seventeenth chapter there is 
another woman, clothed with scarlet and riding upon a 
scarlet coloured beast. She is in the wilderness, like 
this woman for a time, and is directing the beast 
upon which she rides. This woman is decked with 
all manner of precious gems, plays the harlot with the 
kings of the earth, and becomes drunken with the 
blood of God’s people. Finally, this woman is hated 
by the beast upon which she rides, and is made deso- 
late and naked by him. As the Bride, the Lamb’s 
Wife, is the symbol of the true Church of God, the 
saved people in the field of history, so the scarlet 
Woman is the symbol of the false church, the counter- 
feit people of God, in the field of history, from the 
beginning of this age to its consummation. In this 
chapter we have another symbolic woman, and in 
order to identify her in the field of history, we will 
notice several things about her as given here. 

184 


[> the Revelation there are three symbolic women. 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 185 


Her IDENTIFICATION 


1. Of this Woman, in this connection, there are 
several things symbolically stated, which assist us in 
her identification on the field of history. She is called 
a “ wonder,’ which means a sign, token, picture, para- 
ble or symbol. At the very beginning then, we are 
cautioned not to take this Woman as a real character. 
She is a symbolic or prophetic woman and stands for 
a system, a nation, a race of people. But she 1s spoken 
of as a “great wonder.” Both literally and figura- 
tively the word “ great’’ has a wide application, sig- 
nifying something exceedingly great, high, large, 
mighty and powerful. This Woman then, is a symbol 
of something of great importance, something momen- 
tous. ‘There are many things mentioned in the Book 
of the Revelation as being great, a great voice, great 
tribulation, a great mountain, a great star, a great 
furnace, a great city, a great earthquake, a great hail, 
a great dragon, or sea-serpent, a great eagle, a great 
thunder, a great wine-press, great works, a great heat, 
a great day, a great host, great Babylon, a great stone, 
a great wall, a great throne, a great multitude and a 
great God. Wherever you find the word “ great” in 
the Book of the Revelation it is fraught with great 
meaning, representing something huge and of serious 
importance. Let us therefore not pass over the study 
of this Woman too hastily. _ 

This passage informs us also that this Woman was 
seen in Heaven. This would make her, in some sense, 
at least, a heavenly personage. By heaven here is 
meant the sky, not the Heaven of the heavens where 
God has His throne, and where Christ, the saved dead 
and the Holy angels dwell. When John saw this 
vision, he was not literally in heaven but on the Island 


186 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


of Patmos, and perhaps working and suffering down 
in one of the mines. This Woman is seen in heaven 
not literally but spiritually. Heaven stands for the 
sphere of Divine privilege, whether individual, na- 
tional or spiritual. In some passages where Heaven 
is used symbolically it stands for the whole unseen 
spiritual world, in. which both good and evil forces 
operate. It always stands for, and illustrates, the 
region of the super-earthly. This Woman, then, what- 
ever people and system she prefigures, was seen by 
' John as occupying the sphere of Divine honour and 
_ privilege. We will see later that she lost that sphere 
, of privilege and became a vagabond in the wilderness. 
' In our study of this book so far, we have seen sev- 

eral things in the Heaven. ‘The first thing looked 
upon by John in Heaven was that of an open door or 
entrance, through which he was invited to pass (4:1). 
This was the door of access to all the Divine privileges 
and is open for all believers. Following this he was 
privileged to look upon a great throne set in heaven 
which was the seat of God’s sovereignty within the 
spiritual sphere (4:2). Later, there was silence in 
Heaven for the space of half an hour, which an- 
nounced to John, and to us, Redemption finally and 
fully completed (8:1). With the symbolic announce- 
ment of Redemption completed, John is made to see a 
great eagle flying through the midst of heaven, which 
eagle was a symbol of Christ, either personally or 
representatively, proclaiming the good news of Re- 
demption and warning of judgment to come, if that 
redemption be rejected (8:13). Also, in our study, 
we have been attracted by great mysterious voices in 
Heaven, and the Temple of God being in Heaven, and 
the Ark of the Covenant being in that Temple. In 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 187 


the first verse of our chapter the Sun-Clad Woman 
is in Heaven, that is, as I said, in the sphere, the re- 
lationship of Divine honour and privilege, while at 
the same time living, working and suffering on the 
earth. It is of interest to note that at the end of the 
previous chapter the Temple of God is seen in Heaven, 
and that this Woman is seen in that place or sphere 
indicating that she is considered, in God’s attitude to- 
ward her, in special favour. The whole idea repre- 
sented here is Jewish and would tell us that the Woman 
herself represents, not the Church, not the world, but | 
the Jewish nation considered in its special relationship | 
tonGod.4 hi) ' 
Further, the Woman of our vision is magnificently 
dressed. This passage says that she was clothed with 
the sun. There are three suns presented to us in the 
Revelation, the literal sun, the imperial sun, and the 
spiritual Sun, Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. To 
be clothed with the sun is to be robed in light. “ God 
is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” And Jesus 
Christ said, “I am the Light of the world and he that 
followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have 
the light of life.’ This Woman was superhumanly 
robed in light, being clothed with it from head to foot, 
and thus, “ Fair as the Moon and clear as the Sun.” 
To be thus clothed with the sun is to be the bearer of 
Divine supernatural light to the world. The light with 
which this Woman was robed so gloriously was the 
light of the knowledge of God reflected through the 
Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. So long 
as this Woman was robed in this garment of flashing 
glory, wherever she went the darkness of ignorance, 
sin and superstition were driven back and dissipated. 
And further, the great wonder-Woman of our vision 


188 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


is beheld as being triumphant. She has the moon un- 
der her feet, which planet is mentioned four times in 
the book (6::12;\8: 123) 12: 2; 21:23))-) It usiseen 
turned into blood, when it is the symbol of the down- 
fall of all earthly and godless religion. Then, it is 
seen partially eclipsed, indicating the failure of all 
earthly and godless religion to dispel the darkness of 
ignorance, superstition and sin from the earth. In our 
vision the moon is underneath the feet of this Woman, 
indicating the subordination of all earthly religion to 
the supernatural religion brought to the earth by God’s 
national people, the Jews, and established in the earth 
by Jesus Christ our Lord. The natural moon, though 
standing above the sea and the earth is closely con- 
nected with them, and hence, is an earthly light. The 
earth and the sea represent the worldly elements while 
the moon represents the godless and Christless re- 
ligion of those elements. There is much religion to- 
day without God and His Christ. But, wherever the 
true light of the knowledge of God goes it conquers 
the earthly religious systems and brings them into 
subordination. In other words the supernatural re- 
ligion, which is alone in Christ, dominates the natural 
religion of the earth, which is always of the devil. 
The moon cannot dispel the darkness and change the 
night into the day. Earthly religion cannot break the 
power of reigning sin, ignorance and_ superstition. 
Prior to the coming of Christ the Jewish nation, being 
especially favoured of God, and to that degree being 
a supernaturally endowed people, dominated the 
heathen nations with their religious systems, and thus 
we see the moon of earthly religion beneath the feet 
of our Sun-Clad Woman. Now that the Christ has 
come, and that Redemption is finished, in the City of 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 189 


God, the true Church, there is no need of the dim, 
and borrowed light of the earthly religious moon. 
And furthermore, we are instructed that this 
Woman is of royal rank. She is wearing upon her 
head a crown of twelve stars. She has the moon under 
her feet, stars upon her head, and the glorious light 
of the Syrian sun as her magnificent dress. What a 
picture! And how wonderful in its meaning! Stars 
are sometimes the symbols of Churches, or companies 
of organized believers, and frequently they are em- 
ployed to represent individual Christians. As I said 
before, two solitary stars are mentioned, the one fallen, 
representing Satan, the other fixed and shining in spite 
of the darkness, heralding the dawn, the bright and 
Morning Star, who is Christ. Apostate Christians are 
“signified ’ as falling stars, indicating their loss of 
Divine privilege. These twelve stars, taken as indi- 
viduals, represent the individual heads of the twelve 
tribes of the Children of Israel. Seven, the union of 
the Divine three and the human four, always attests 
ideal perfection. Twelve always sets forth historical 
and final completeness. You will read in this book 
of twelve thousand, twelve gates, twelve stars, twelve 
angels, twelve foundations, twelve apostles, twelve 
pearls and twelve manner of fruits. This Woman is 
crowned with twelve stars showing that she represents 
a people whose royal rank and royal blood came from 
the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel. We are 
now prepared to say that this huge symbolic character, 
beheld as being in the sphere of Divine privilege, with 
the moon under her feet, the starry diadem on her 
head and robed with the light of the sun, is none other 


than the nation and_ kingdom of the Jews, as that | 


nation and kingdom appears tipon the field of history. 


| 


4 
? 


i] 
s 
; 
i 


; 


190 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


There is yet another thing mentioned about this 
Woman indicating a certain feature of her character, 
as she is seen nationally prior to the first Advent of 
Christ. John saw her in the way of motherhood. The 
passage says, “ And she, being with child, cried, trav- 
ailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” ‘This il- 
lustration again is taken from the Old Testament, for 
twice over we have the nation of Israel described as a 
woman with child and travailing in birth to be deliv- 
ered (Isa. 66: 7-10; Micah 4:10). The woman of 
whom Jesus was born represents the nation of Israel 
as seen in the Old Testament. That Divinely called 
out and separated race of people was the nation, “ of 
whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came” (Rom. 
9:5). That national woman had her conception when 
Abraham was called out from the land between the 
waters, into the land which he knew not. She had 
her travail period from that moment down to the time — 
when Christ was born in Bethlehem’s stall. Her 
travail, or torments, set forth in a vivid manner the 
ardent longings and sufferings of God’s national peo- 
ple in Old Testament times for the coming of the 
promised Redeemer. It is a historical as well as a 
Scriptural fact then, that Christ came through the 
Jewish nation to this earth. The history of the Jewish 
nation from the call of Abraham to the birth of Christ 
is made up of three parts (Matt. 1: 1-17). In the 
first fourteen generations we have progress and devel- 
opment reaching a lofty height. This may be called 
the period of Israel’s prosperity and throughout it all 
there were longings for the arrival of the promised 
Seed. In the second fourteen generations we have 
declension which led into captivity. Though there 
was decline in this period, among the faithful few 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 191 


there were desires, hopes, prayers and agonizings, for 
the coming of the predicted Redeemer. In the period 
covered by the third fourteen generations we have re- 
vival and restoration, which came finally after the fail- 
ure of all the national hopes of God’s people. It is 
easy to trace the travail pains, or torments, in the 
history of the national mother of Christ from the very 
beginning until the Saviour was born. In Egypt there 
was bondage, darkness and famine; in the wilderness 
there was aimless wandering; in Caanan, cruel wars, 
and in Babylon, tyranny and shame. It made no dif- 
ference what their history or condition was, and that 
more at certain times than at other times, Israel cried 
out in pain for the coming of the Saviour. What we 
have illustrated here so plainly and so significantly be- 
came history down to the least particular. 

And not only was the Woman of our vision in the 
way of motherhood, but she was safely delivered as 
well (v. 5). ‘And she brought forth a man child, 
who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; 
and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” 
There are only three things stated here concerning this 
Child, His Birth, the fact that He was destined to rule 
all the nations of the earth as with the rod of iron, 
and His Ascension to glory. There is nothing said 
about His life, baptism, teachings, works, death and 
resurrection. ‘This is in perfect keeping with the real- 
ity of which this Woman is the symbol. There have 
been, and there are, different opinions regarding the 
Character and Historical significance of this Man- 
Child. Some have thought that he represented the 
beginning of the Christian State under Constantine, 
setting forth Christianity triumphing over heathenism. 
Others have taken the ground that the Man-Child pre- 


192 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


figured a race of spiritual believers, strong and united, 
like Christ, and designed, under Him, to rule all the 
nations, as with a rod of iron; that is, to judge the 
world by their lives and teaching. To a degree, apart 
from this passage altogether, this is true. Seiss takes 
this view, and labours hard to make an argument to 
support it, but is thoroughly successful in his failure to 
make his point. The Man-Child born of this Woman is 
not the “ True Church ” within the “ false church.” The 
\ fact we are told that He “ was to rule all nations with 
|a rod of iron” tells us plainly that it is JesusChrist, 
-our Lord, who is meant. Any explanation that ignores 
Christ here is certainly not correct and does great dis- 
honour to Him. The words “ Who was to rule all 
the nations with the rod of iron” are taken from 
the second Psalm (v. 9) and in two other places are 
used in this Book. In the second Psalm they are re- 
corded concerning God’s Anointed, God’s King and 
God’s only Begotten Son, in response to the Divine 
request made of Him: “ ask of me and I shall give thee 
the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost 
parts of the earth for thy possession.” Almost any 
one can see here that the reference is to Christ as the 
First Begotten of God from the dead. This is 
strengthened by the use of the words in the nineteenth 
chapter of our Book, where they are most surely ap- 
plied to Christ in the time of His second most glorious 
Advent (v. 15). According to the use of these words 
in the second chapter (v. 27), Christ’s ruling of the 
nations with the rod of iron is to be shared in by all 
true believers who come away victorious from the 
battle of life. | 

Yes, this Man-Child is none other than Jesus and 
there are only three things about Him, ‘Two of these 


THE QUEEN MOTHER — 193 


events have taken place in the past, and the other 
pledged eternally for the future. His Incarnation and 
Ascension are events that have already taken place in 
history. They are His Cradle and His Crown. His 
Birth speaks of humiliation and His Ascension tes- 
tifies of His eternal preservation. For nigh two 
thousand years now, that Man-Child, born of His 
mother, Israel, has been in the presence of God on 
high waiting eagerly for that time when He, along 
with the Redeemed, shall rule, or shepherd, all nations, 
with the rod of inflexible righteousness. It is grace 
now; it will be justice then. We hail the day! Thus 
we see the history of the National Mother of Christ, 
from the call of Abraham to the Birth of the Re- 
deemer in Bethlehem’s manger. 


HER ADVERSARY 


2. This leads us to a consideration of the Woman’s 
adversary (3, 4,9). He is described by several very 
significant titles and words, which make it very easy 
for us to identify him. Thirteen times in the Book 
he is called “ Dragon,’”’ which word delineates a fabu- 
lous kind of serpent, which was supposed to have al- 
most irresistible power to fascinate and to destroy. 
The word as used here may be taken to refer to some 
great sea-monster, or serpent, without making any use 
of ancient myths for its elucidation. In our vision 
“dragon” is taken as the personification of Satan, as 
of the king of Egypt, in the Book of Ezekiel. He is 
also called, “the great dragon,” that old serpent, which 
is evidently a reference to Satan, as he first appeared 
in history (Gen. 3). In the picture here given, the 
colour of the dragon is red, or flame-like. Twice only 
have we this colour mentioned in the Revelation. The 


SAREE NN ce ne 


194 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


second horse, representing war and bloodshed, was red 
(6:4), and in this passage the dragon is red, which 
implies his fiery rage and deadly malignity as a mur- 
derer, or life-destroyer, from the very beginning. 

The dragon had seven heads, which indicates that 
he represented a being that is supernatural. No sea- 
serpent ever, literally, had seven heads. Daniel’s four 
beasts together had seven heads, the first, second and 
fourth having one each, and the third having four. 
This dragon has the seven heads, which signify uni- 
versal knowledge. The knowledge of Satan extends 
to the utmost limits, at least, of human habitation. 
The devil is wise, but God is all-wise. On the heads 

_ of this dragon were seven diadems, which speak of 
\ Satan’s universal dominion, as the prince, or ruler, of 
\ the fallen world. Repeatedly Christ called the devil, 
Lf; the prince,’ or “ruler ”’ of this world (John 12: 31; 
} 14: 30), and Paul called him, “ the god of this world ” 
(2 Cor. 4:4). Further, this sea-monster has ten 
horns, telling us of the instruments of his power, ten 
being the number of the social order, organized and 
federated under governmental control. As the fiery 
coloured, seven-crowned-headed and ten-horned sea- 
monster, we behold Satan, the arch-enemy of men, God 
and Christ, in his relation to world governments. This 
enemy of mankind is also spoken of here, as the 
“devil,” that title being the Greek for “accuser” or 
“‘ slanderer,” and “‘ Satan,” the Hebrew word for “‘ ad- 
versary,” especially in a Court of Law. These two 
titles, the Greek and the Hebrew, mark clearly and 
unmistakably the twofold object of his attacks, slan- 
ders and temptations, both the Gentiles and the Jews, 
or the whole human race, without exception. This 
firmly agrees with what follows, when it says that this 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 195 


being is the one who deceiveth the whole world, or 
the whole inhabited earth. Wherever man is found 
there will be found the devil in all his operations. 

Not only has the adversary of this Woman seven 
heads, seven crowns and ten horns, but he has a tail 
as well. It would appear that he lashed his tail back- 
ward and forward, as if in rage, and with the purpose 
to frighten and terrorize. What did, and what does, 
this dragon tail signify? It certainly signifies some- 
thing or it would not have been so described. Again, 
we must go back to the Old Testament for our expla- 
nation. In Moses’ time, to be the fail, was to be the 
lowest; to be the head, was to be the highest and most 
honourable (Deut. 28:44). In the time of Isaiah 
(9: 14-16) the tai was the false teacher and his teach- 
ings by which the Lord’s people were led astray, and 
destroyed. Isaiah said, “The prophet that teaches 
lies, he is the tail.” Here we have plain Scriptural 
authority for the meaning of the tai. In reality the 
tail of the dragon, now, is constituted by false teach- 
ers, false doctrine and false practice. The dragon, 
that old serpent, the devil and Satan, has always had 
this tail. He had it in the Garden of Eden, he had it 
when he met Christ in the desert, and he has it to-day. 
It is by this tail of error that he accomplishes his evil 
designs in leading men and women away from Christ 
to their destruction. From the very beginning of 
Satan’s downfall, this tail of his has grown stronger, 
longer and larger, until to-day he can lash that tail 
backward and forward over the whole face of the 
globe, and then even sweep the starry heavens above 
with it. Yes, this vision says, that by his tail he reaches 
up into the very Heaven of Divine privilege and drags 
down easily and forcibly the shining stars therefrom, 


196 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


that they should cease to give their light in the dark 
night of the Sun’s absence. Stars are heavenly bodies, 
and signify true Christians, and, by their being 
“dragged down” experience their apostasy from 
Christ, and the faith once for all delivered to the 
saints. Satan by his tail of moral, doctrinal, religious 
and practical error has been accomplishing the down- 
fall of Christians from the beginning, and is doing it 
to-day more than ever, in the history of the kingdom 
of God on earth. Just think of the many systems of 
religious error that there are in the world to-day, such 
as Unitarianism, Universalism, Romanism, much of 
Protestantism, Seventh-Dayism, Russellism, Eddyism, 
and now, Rationalism and Evolution, etc., etc. These 
errors are the more dangerous because they are all 
under the name of Christ and they would have no 
appeal were it not that that precious Name was used in 
and by them. All these, and other errors are em- 
ployed to-day as the instruments of Satan to drag down 
true Christian men and women from the lofty, spiritual 
state of Divine privilege. When professed Christian 
people deliberately reject revealed Truth, as to the 
proper Deity of Jesus Christ, and a full and final Re- 
demption, through the atoning death of Christ, then, 
we have the dragging down of the stars by the tail 
of that old dragon, the devil. Have we much of this 
to-day? I say we have, and it is apparent in our Col- 
leges, on our Missionary Fields and in our Churches, 
almost everywhere. 

But John saw this sign-serpent, the arch-enemy of 
‘the Man-Child and His National Mother, in Heaven, 
and a little later, cast out of Heaven, into the earth. 
We must keep in mind clearly that in the Book of the 
Revelation, Heaven is not only a place, a state, but 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 197 


both the sphere of Divine privilege, and that invisible 
region where good and evil spirits operate. There 
was a time when Satan was in the sphere of Divine 
blessing, before God, but he fell by rebellion and pride, 
out of that sphere into the region of the Divine curse. 
From the fall of Satan, in the past, up to the second 
coming of Christ, which is yet in the future, the casting 
out from heaven of the devil has two very marked 
aspects, in the ever deeper downfall of the arch- 
enemy and his hosts. From his fall up to the Ascen- 
sion of Christ, the devil was deprived more and more 
of his heavenly excellency, though still having access 
to heaven as man’s malignant accuser. In the old dis- 
pensation, the Heaven of divine privilege was not fully 
opened to man (John 3: 18), so it was not fully shut 
against Satan and his demons. In the Old Testament 
dispensation of law, of rites, and ceremonies, of holy 
days, and sanctified seasons, with its wonderful va- 
riety of religious and philanthropic round of duties, 
could not overcome Satan. But, from the Death, , 
Resurrection and Ascension of Christ the devil is. 
judicially cast out of the heaven of divine privilege, as 
the accuser of God’s people. ~~ 

But what is it to be “cast out” in this judicial 
sense? One goes into court and accuses another of a 
certain crime, and that other is tried, found guilty, 
punished, according to strict justice for that crime, 
and, then, fully and finally acquitted. The accuser is 
now cast out judicially, because justice is satisfied in 
respect to that crime committed, and the accuser has 
no further ground for accusation. Since the Death, 
Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, the devil has 
absolutely no ground upon which he can lay any charge 
whatsoever against the people of God. The Apostle 


198 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


said (Rom. 8:1), “ There is therefore now, no con- 
demnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” The 
Lord said (John 25:24) that those who heard His 
Word and believed on Him who sent Him possessed 
eternal life, and had passed out of condemnation into 
justification of life. The people of God have been in 
Court. They have been accused, tried, found guilty, 
punished and acquitted. ‘They are now justified for- 
ever, in Christ, and because of this there is absolutely 
no one in the world above, nor the world beneath, nor 
in the world on the earth, that can lay any charge 
against them. The Apostle again said (Rom. 8: 33, 
34), “ Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s 
elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that con- 
demneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is 
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who 
also maketh intercession for us.’ Since the Death, 
Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, Satan has had 
absolutely no standing ground judicially against the 
believing saints of God. ‘To the people of God im- 
peachment 1s impossible. 

We must notice also by whom and upon what basis 
the devil lost his judicial standing ground in the sphere 
of Divine privilege. The passage states, “‘ There was 
war in Heaven; Michael and his angels (or messen- 
gers) fought against the dragon; and the dragon 
fought and his angels (or messengers), and prevailed 
not; and neither was their place found any more in 
Heaven.” Michael is the leader and the Commander 
of the hosts of light; Satan is the leader and com- 
mander of the hosts of darkness. Let us keep in 
mind that this war between the hosts of light and the 
hosts of darkness took place, not in a premundane or 
supermundane, literal locality, but within a spiritual 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 199 


region or sphere called “ heaven,” within which believ- — 
ers dwell, even during their life here on earth, when 
that life is looked at from its Godward side. In this 
conflict Michael and his hosts utterly vanquished the 
dragon and his hosts, so much so that the dragon and 
his hosts had no more place in Heaven afterward. 
We have learned who the dragon and his angels are, 
the devil and his spiritual hosts of wickedness. But 
who is Michael? The name ‘“ Michael”? means, 
“Who is like God.” Our Lord is so much like God 
that He is said to be “‘ the very image of God.” In 
the nation of Israel there were nine persons who car- 
ried the name “ Michael,” and in Daniel, three times 
over, this name is given to a supernatural Intelligence 
who directs and protects the people of Jehovah (Dan. 
10: 18, 21; 12: 1). In those verses he is called ‘‘ One 
of the chief princes,” “‘ Your Prince,” and “‘ The Great 
Prince which standeth for the children of thy people.” 
The title Prince means ruler, king, sovereign and, by 
the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, it is given to 
Christ, four times. He is called the “ Prince of Life” 
(Acts 3: 16), the “ Prince” and the Saviour exalted 
to give forgiveness and remission of sins (Acts 5: 31), 
the “ Prince’”’ or Captain of our salvation, who was 
made perfect as an atoning sacrifice through suffering 
(Heb. 2:10), and the “Prince” or Author of our 
Faith, who for the joy that was set before Him en- 
dured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down 
at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12: 2). 
In fact, in the Book of Daniel where Michael is men- 
tioned so often as the “ Prince,” the coming Saviour is 
called the “Messiah, the Prince” (9:26), and in 
Isaiah (9:6) the Promised Messiah is called “ The 
Prince of Peace.” From these references it would 


200 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


appear that Michael is none other than Christ Him- 
self. 

But this is not all that we have about Michael in 
the Bible. We read about him in Jude (v. 9), where 
he is called “‘ the archangel” or “ master over angels,” 
and where it is stated that he once contended with 
Satan over the body of Moses. There is only one 
archangel mentioned in the Bible, for we never read 
of archangels. We are told that when the Lord de- 
scends from Heaven, it will be with a shout, even with 
the voice of the archangel (1 Thess. 4:16). I con- 
clude, therefore, that the archangel, who is Michael, 
or “one like God” is none other than Jesus Christ 
our Lord. In the Book of Daniel we see him standing 
always for the defence of God’s people against their 
enemies: in the passage under study we see him en- 
gaged in war in defence of God’s people against their . 
enemies. Surely Michael can be none other than 
Jesus Christ, our Glorified Lord. 

But with what means did Christ and His hosts of 
light vanquish the devil, and his hosts of darkness? 
The eleventh verse tells us plainly, for it emphatically 
declares, “ And they overcame him by the blood of the 
Lamb, and by the word of their testimony,” and in 
doing so, “they loved not their lives unto death.” 
This clearly states that the struggles and victory re- 
ferred to took place during and after Redemption was 
completed, and not before it was begun. It was in 
Hits death that Christ routed him who had the power 
of death (Heb. 2:14). It was in the Cross, Resurrec- 
tion and Ascension that Christ spoiled principalities 
and powers and made a show of them openly, triumph- 
ing over them in it (Col. 2:14). Had the Blood of 
Christ not been shed for the offenses of the believer, 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 201 


and had the Resurrection of Christ not taken place, to 
demonstrate the justification of the believer, the ac- 
cusations of the devil would have been unanswerable. 
But now that both the Death and Resurrection have 
taken place, every charge of the devil is met and he 
is a conquered foe. There are many passages that 
support this statement and show clearly that our Lord . 
has had a complete victory over Satan so that for the’ 
saints the arch-enemy of man is already judged, over-. 
thrown, judicially cast out, and bruised‘ beneath the | 
feet of the Saints. Listen to some of these passages, _ 
“ Now is the judgment of this world, now is the prince / 
of this world cast out’ (John 12: 81) ; “And when He 
(the Holy Spirit) is come He will convince the world 
of judgment because the prince of this world is 
judged’ (John 16: 11) ; “ Since then the children are 
sharers in flesh and blood, He also Himself in like man- 
ner partook of the same; that through death He might 
destroy, or bring to nought, him that had the power of 
death, that is the devil” (Heb. 2: 14); “ Whosoever 
is begotten of God overcometh the world; and this is 
the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith ”’ 
(1 John 5:4). In these sublime passages, as well as 
in the passage before us, we see how Satan has been 
completely cast out of Heaven; that is, im his warfare 
against Christ and H1s hosts he has been completely 
vanquished. On their higher and spiritual life, the 
life that they have in the Redeemer, he has absolutely 
no power. 

Believers, then, in the Death, Resurrection and As- 
cension of Christ have been delivered from the bond- 
_ age of Satan, and are forever free. This is the refer- 
ence and significance of the passage, when the loud 
voice was heard saying (v. 9), “Now,” now that 


202 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


Christ has died, risen and ascended, now that the devil 
is defeated and judicially cast out—‘“ Now is come 
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God 
and the power of His Christ.” Here are four bless- 
ings announced for believers. The first blessing is 
salvation, or the salvation, as it is in the original, that 
is, the salvation that was promised, full, final and vi- 
cariously and victoriously accomplished. The word 
“salvation” has an origin which implies deliverance, 
safety, preservation, healing and soundness. When 
used in the spiritual sense it is an all-inclusive word 
embracing in its mighty grasp all the redemptive acts 
and processes, such as regeneration, justification, 
adoption, sanctification and ultimate glorification. In 
reference to time it comprehends all the past, present 
and future, and in its application to space it fathoms 
the depths of sin and death, and mounts to the top- 
most heights of life, holiness and happiness. This is 
the salvation that came down to earth for believing 
sinners, and “came to pass”’ as a fact of history and 
experience, when, through the atoning death of Christ, 
the devil was cast out. What a wonderful Saviour! 
Further, there is another blessing announced by this 
loud, heavenly voice, for it said, “Now . . . is 
come strength.” ‘The word for “strength” here is 
“ dunamis,” the source of our English word dynamic, 
and has the significance of might, ability, energy and 
violent power, constructive, practical and destructive. 
This is doubtless a reference to the Holy Spirit who 
came down to earth to indwell and to impower be- 
lievers, when Christ finished His work and went Home 
on high. Jesus performed all of His miracles by this 
strength of the Holy Spirit, thus destroying the works 
of the devil. And to the Disciples He promised (Acts 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 203 


1:8). “ Ye shall receive power (“dunamis”’) after 
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” ‘The presence 
and power of the Holy Spirit were not given as abiding 
realities for men until the devil was judicially cast out 
by Christ, at the Cross, the Tomb and Olivet. 
When Christ went up, the Holy Spirit, our Dynamic, 
came down, and He is here with the Church and in- 
dividual believers, as their strength and refuge against 
all the attacks of the enemy. 
There is another blessing announced by the loud 
voice in our vision. That voice further said, “ Now 
is come the kingdom of our God.” In the 
Authorized Version, up to the present point in our 
study, we came upon that word kingdom twice. In 
one place (1:9) we read about “the kingdom and 
patience of Jesus Christ.” The word “kingdom” 
means rule, dominion, sovereignty, government, or 
administration. ‘The kingdom of our God,” then, 
means the rule, dominion, government or administra- 
tion of our God, in some special sense for, and in the 
lives of men and women on earth. When Christ was 
on earth in mortal human flesh, God the Holy Spirit 
ruled with unlimited sway in Him, with the result that 
good works were accomplished by Him everywhere, 
and the power of Satan broken on the right hand and 
on the left. This is what Christ meant when He said 
to the Scribes and Pharisees, ‘‘ The rule of God is in 
the midst of you” (Luke 17: 20, 21), that is, “the 
rule, government or kingdom of God is now displayed 
in your midst, in and through Me, the Head and Sov- 
ereign of that kingdom.”” What the rule of God was 
in Christ, while here on the earth, it is the norm of 
what it should be, to a greater or less degree, in the 
lives of God’s children. What then does the kingdom 


204 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


of our God mean? Paul answers this question (Rom. 
14: 17) on its positive side by saying, “ The kingdom 
of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy 
Ghost.” The kingdom of God, we might say, is God 
Himself. Righteousness is a justified standing before 
God; peace, or concord, is fellowship and friendship 
with God; and joy.is a happy exultant experience in 
the redeemed human heart, issuing from that right- 
eousness and peace. This kingdom of God was made 
available for men when Christ triumphed over Satan 
in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. 

Not only has the salvation, the strength and the 
kingdom of our God come to men as the result of the 
devil being cast out of heaven, but, “the power of his 
Christ,” has come also. The word for “ power” is 
exousia, and has a variety of significance such as right, 
privilege, capacity, competency, mastery, jurisdiction, 
authority. Just prior to His Ascension, in the presence 
of His Disciples, Christ put forth the royal claim 
(Matt. 28: 18), “ All power (authority) is given unto 
me in heaven and on earth.” ‘There is no authority 
but what has its source in Christ as the Risen and 
Glorified Lord. When He was here in the world, He 
manifested and exercised authority over nature, dis- 
ease, demons, death and all manner of human per- 
sonalities. By reason of the limitations of His human 
nature the exercise of the Divine power which He 
possessed was necessarily limited. It was only now 
and then that the people saw the star of empire gleam- 
ing on His breast. But since He has risen from the 
dead and has been exalted to the Father’s right hand 
in immortal human nature, power or authority is His 
to exercise to an unlimited degree. There are four 
kinds of authority and Christ is the Source of them 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 205 


all. He has these four aspects of authority without 
limit, and to a degree, at the present, He is exercising 
them. There is practical authority, the right or privi- 
lege to claim other personalities as His own; legisla- 
tive authority, or the right to set up standards for life 
and conduct in others; judicial authority, or the right 
to say how His own should think as well as act; and 
executive authority, or the right, enforced by ability, 
to carry out in human life His own will. Thus we have 
the four great blessings for men as a result of Satan 
being judicially cast out from before the Court of 
Infinite Justice, upon behalf of believers, the Salvation, 
the Strength, the Kingdom of our God and the Au- 
thority of His Christ. 

Following upon this we have clearly brought before 
us in our vision the two different aspects of the atti- 
tude and relation of Satan to the two companies of 
people in the earth, the saved and the unsaved. We 
will see more about this in the after part of this Book 
and especially when we come to study chapter twenty. 
Over the saved, and in the saved, Satan has absolutely 
no authority, and hence, the Heaven-Dwellers, the 
saved on earth, are called upon by this loud voice to 
exult, “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that 
dwell in them.” ‘The Heaven-Dwellers in this Book 
are always those who have been regenerated and know 
themselves to be God’s children though living on earth. 
Over the ungodly Satan still holds mastery, for the 
loud voice from heaven said, “ Woe! to the inhabiters 
of the earth and of the sea, for the devil is gone down 
unto you having great wrath.” The inhabiters of the 
earth and of the sea are the unregenerate, both Jews 
and Gentiles. Since the death of Christ we have the 
devil’s subjection to the righteous in Christ, and more 


206 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


and more, we have the subjection of the unregenerate 
to the devil. Satan is still the deceiver of the whole 
inhabited earth, that is, of the unregenerated ones on 
the face of the Globe. It is true that he lays snares 
for both the godly and the ungodly alike, though the 
snares for the one class, at times, may be different from 
the snares for the-other class. He tempted Jesus in 
the wilderness and many a time thereafter, during His 
labours and His suffering. The vision before us gives 
no ground for the supposition that God’s children, 
while in the flesh, are not attacked or assaulted by 
Satan. The vision assures us only that when the at- 
tack is made it is at the same instant foiled, and that, 
through the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the 
Lord. ‘There is a war or battle on now: but, in the 
sphere of Divine privilege, Christians advance to it 
as conquerors. ‘They advance to it not so much to 
win a victory as to celebrate a victory in Christ, in 
whom already, by faith, they are the conquerors. 
Before leaving this part of our study we must notice 
one other expression that is generally passed over by 
Commentators on this chapter. It is the “ short time,” 
or “season”? mentioned in verse twelve. The word 
“time” is used in several passages in this Book. It 
marks the period during which the godly are sheltered 
by the blood beneath the altar (6:11). It is also the 
period during which Satan is under restraint (20: 3). 
John in his first epistle (2: 18), and Jude in his epistle 
(v. 18) speak of this period as “the last time.” In 
the first chapter of our Book (1: 3), the word “ time” 
is used to describe the whole period in which the proph- 
ecies of this Book were to be fulfilled in history. The 
word itself literally means “the aggregate of seasons.” 
It is a mistake to take this “time” or “season” to 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 207 


be a period in history at the close of the Christian 
dispensation, when the wrath of Satan is aroused to a 
greater than an ordinary degree. The “short time” 
mentioned in our vision began in history when Re- 
demption was completed back at the Cross, and it will 
continue until Redemption is finally finished in the 


glorification of all the saved at the second coming of / 


our Lord. The Church and the world have been in 
this “ short season ’’ now for two thousand years, and 
will remain in it until the consummation of the age. 
The “time” or “season” is “ short”? because, in the 
mind of the Author, the period of time signified is 
thrown into contrast with eternity, which is unlim- 
ited, both in extent and duration. The “ great wrath ”’ 
with which the devil goes forth to do his work, is that 
anger that was stirred up in him by his utter defeat | 
through the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of our | 


since he sees how believing men and believing women | 


held. 


Her HistroricaL EXPERIENCE 


3. We have certainly identified both the Woman 
and her adversary, and now let us look at her His- 
torical Experience, as prefigured here (13-17). In 
one verse (v. 4) we are told that the dragon stood 
before the Woman with the eager and malignant in- 
tent of devouring her Child, as soon as it was born. 
The idea appears to be that the dragon stood for a 
considerable period watching and planning for the de- 
struction of the Man-Child, the Anointed of the Fa- 
ther. The devil did this very thing throughout the 
whole history of Israel in the Old Dispensation. He 


are delivered from the bondage in which they were 


( 


Lord. ‘The devil is angry now, more so than ever, | 


208 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


put forth every effort conceivable to devour the Man- 
Child long before He was born. When he inspired 
Pharaoh to issue that edict for the destruction of the 
male children in Egypt (Exod. 1: 16-22), he at- 
tempted to devour the Man-Child. Had all the male 
children been slaughtered at that time, baby Moses 
would have been slain and thus the line broken which 
led on to the, coming of the Messiah. The dragon 
stood watching the Woman with destructive intent 
when he attempted the destruction of all the Seed 
Royal (2 Chron. 22: 10-12). Satan attempted to de- 
vour the Child as soon as born when he inspired the 
Edomite king of Israel, the chief executive of the 
Roman Empire in Palestine, to issue the order to slay 
all the male children in and about Bethlehem, from 
two years old and under (Matt. 2: 16-18). The devil 
also tried to devour the Man-Child when he stirred up 
the people of Nazareth to lead Christ forth to the 
brow of the hill and to cast Him over headlong (Luke 
4:29). Satan also had designs on the Saviour’s life 
when he tempted Him to leap from the temple-top out 
into space and to the pavement below. He also tried 
to wear Christ out and to kill Him in the Garden be- 
fore He went to the Cross. And, when Christ was 
on the Cross, making an atonement for sin, Satan did 
all in his power to get Christ to come down from the 
Cross and so give a spectacular display of His super- 
human power. When the body of Christ was in the 
grave and His soul in Hades, the devil did all in his 
power to keep them there, but, on that first Easter 
morning, the Redeemer came forth, grasping and wield- 
ing the keys of authority over death and the grave. 
When the dragon saw that he was completely and 
finally foiled in his attempts to devour the Man-Child, 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 209 


he turned, with evil intent, to the Queen Mother, of 
whom the Man-Child was born, and she, for her pres- 
ervation, fled into the wilderness. In the Old Testa- 
ment we read about several wildernesses, the wilder- 
ness of Egypt, which meant idolatry, cruelty, bondage, 
famine, darkness and suffering; the wilderness of 
Sinai, between Egypt and Canaan, which meant aim- 
less wandering, complaining and provocation; the wil- 
derness of Babylon, with its captivity, cruelty and 
shame; and the wilderness of the peoples (Ezek. 
20: 35, 86), signifying, at that time, the Gentile na- 
tions. A wilderness was always in contrast to Canaan, 
the promised, pleasant and glorious land. It was 
claimed by the ancient Jews that God dwelt in Canaan, 
and that demons dwelt in the wilderness. The Gentile 
nations, being without God, and thus, without hope, 
was considered a desolate wilderness. The wilderness 
into which this Woman fled, was not a wilderness 
literally and locally, but a spiritual and political wilder- 
ness, of the peoples, signifying a state of discipline, 
irial and tribulation, among, and in bondage to, the 
Gentile nations, during the long period of unparalleled 
trouble which is spanned in history by the Advents, 
this whole dispensation. The flight of the Woman 
_ into the desolate wilderness of the peoples illustrates to 
us several events in the history of Israel throughout 
this age. We will notice them. 

In the first place, we have the destruction of the 
Jewish nation signified very clearly here. The Woman 
“ fled,” that is, ran away suddenly, and in haste, as if 
by compulsion, into the wilderness, ““ Where she hath 
a place prepared of God.” This flight of the Woman 
took place in the vision and also in history, soon after 
the Man-Child was caught up to God and His throne. 


210 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


The nation of Israel was destroyed about forty years 
after Christ ascended to the Father. The Woman 
fled into the wilderness not by human fear or caprice, 
but by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of 
God. Israel, the kingdom of the Jews, lost her posi- 
tion of high honour, was broken up and scattered 
throughout the world, according to the Divine purpose. 
In verse fourteen we are told that, “To the Woman 
were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might 
fly into the wilderness, into her place.” As the first 
reference gives us the human, so this reference gives 
us the Divine side of the Woman’s flight. Some tell 
us that the “great eagle” here is the world power; 
but if they would only bear in mind that the symbol 
of the eagle is taken from the Old Testament, they 
would think differently. The Jews understood the 
Great Eagle to be Jehovah (Exod. 19: 4), and the two 
wings, God’s eternal purpose and power, by which the 
Woman was directed and impelled into and through 
her wilderness experience. The Woman both fled and 
flew into the wilderness of the peoples, not by human 
chance, but by God’s power and determined appoint- 
ment. 

The downfall and dispersion of the Jewish nation, 
from the high place of Divine honour and privilege, 
became a historical fact in history, back there in 
70 A. D., when the Hebrew kingdom went out in 
blood. At that time the sovereignty of the Hebrew 
race, with its religion and polity, was broken up and 
terminated, and the people scattered among the nations 
of the earth. To see what that terrible “ Flight,” or 
destruction, consisted in we must go back in history to 
the time when the event transpired. According to 
Josephus, there were about six million Jews in Pales- 





THE QUEEN MOTHER 211 


tine when the war against them began by the Roman 
Empire in 66 a. p. It is estimated that 2,500,000 fell 
during the war which ended in 70 a. p., when the city 
of Jerusalem was destroyed and burned. The land did 
not become depopulated altogether, at the fall of Jeru- 
salem. Large numbers of Jews still remained in the 
cities that were left standing, and at intervals they 
annoyed the Romans with their rebellions. In the year 
1380 a. D., the last effort was made by the Jews to throw 
off the Roman yoke which resulted in their complete 
and final overthrow. In Kitto’s “ Palestine,” page 408, 
we read, “Of the Jews it is estimated that 580,000 
died on the field and the remnant that escaped mostly 
perished by famine and disease, or amid the flames 
of their ruined cities. Under these ruthless devasta- 
tions, the whole country was at last converted into a 
desert; the inhabitants were either slain or driven into 
exile, and the Divine denunciations were now fully 
accomplished against this misguided people, that should 
be scattered among all the nations of the earth.” An- 
other writer says, ‘‘ The suppression of this rebellion 
marks the final desolation of Judza and the complete 
dispersion of its inhabitants. The whole of Judza 
was made like a desert. About 985 towns and villages 
lay in ashes; fifty fortresses were razed to the ground 
and every Jew was strictly debarred from entering 
the city.” Thus we see what the “flight” of this 
Woman was in history. 

Not only have we illustrated here the destruction 
and dispersion of the Jewish people, but we have also 
set forth in a very vivid manner their Divine preserva- 
tion as well. The Woman fled and flew into the wil- 
derness in order that ‘‘ they (the nations) might feed 
her there, a thousand and two hundred and three score 


212 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


days,” which period of time is this whole dispensation, 
the entire age of Gentile rule over the Jews. Again, 
it says that “the woman was given two wings of a 
great eagle, that she might fly into her place, where 
she is nourished for a time, and times and half a time.” 
The period here is exactly the same as a thousand two 
hundred and three score days, meaning this Dispensa- 
tion. Though broken up as a nation and scattered 
over the face of the globe as vagabonds, without a 
land or a polity, and though hated and persecuted even 
unto the death by the Gentiles or wilderness peoples, 
Israel is Divinely fed, nourished and protected through 
those very peoples. Israel had always been hated by 
the other peoples of the earth. It was so in Egypt, 
in Zin, in Canaan, in Babylon, in Persia and now 
throughout the whole world. Why is this? Is there 
anything Divine in this hate toward Israel? If the 
Gentile peoples had coddled Israel, loved Israel and 
invited Israel to their social, political and other posi- 
tions in life, the Hebrew people would have lost their 
identity long ago. For her safety, as a distinct race, 
and for her preservation as the national people of God, 
Israel, according to God’s plan, had to be broken up 
and scattered throughout the whole round world. The 
Hebrew people are the only ones now that are known 
as “Internationals.” A Jew is a Jew in whatever 
country or clime he makes his home, and the country 
in which he lives always feeds, nourishes and protects 
him. It is claimed to-day that the Jews hold the bal- 
ance of the wealth of the world. Though very small 
in number, comparatively speaking, they are richer 
than all the rest of the world put together. If this be 
true, where did they get their wealth? They got it 
from the Gentiles. Thus we see how this Woman is 





THE QUEEN MOTHER 213 


fed and nourished in the wilderness. Surely God has 
a purpose in all this for His National people. 

This part of the vision brings before us also the 
persecution of the Jewish people throughout this Dis- 
pensation through the instrumentality of the Gentiles. 
This is plainly stated once, and, then afterward, sym- 
bolically described (vs. 18, 15). ‘These passages say: 
“ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the 
earth, he persecuted the Woman which brought forth 
the Man-Child. And the serpent cast out of his mouth 
water as a flood after the Woman, that he might cause 
her to be carried away of the flood.” This is the only 
place in the Revelation that the word “ persecuted ”’ 
in any of its forms is used. It comes from a double 
source which means to flee and to pursue. The 
Woman in this case fled and the dragon pursued her, 
and in his pursuit after her he sent forth from his 
mouth floods of water that he might bring about her 
distress and destruction. Once more the illustration is 
taken from the Old Testament. There the pursuit, 
persecutions and assaults of the ungodly upon Israel 
are frequently compared to those floods of waters, 
which, owing to the sudden risings of the rivers, as the 
Jordan, the Tigris and the Euphrates, are in the East 
so common, so dangerous and destructive. Isaiah, for 
instance, speaks of the enemy rushing and rolling “in 
like a flood” (59:19). David spoke of his enemies 
being so many and so strong that, like rushing waters, 
they had all but overwhelmed him (Psa. 124: 2-6). 
In this connection he said that the stream had gone 
over his soul and that the proud waters had all but 
overwhelmed him. In another Psalm (18: 4-16) he 
said, “The sorrows of death compassed me and the 
floods of the ungodly men made me afraid.” So there 


214 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


are “floods of ungodly men”; and these were the 
floods in history that the devil sent forth from his 
mouth after Israel, that he might distress, and, if pos- 
sible, destroy her. 

Surely no one will dare to say that what is here 
foretold and prefigured by the risen Lord, for Israel, 
has not come to pass. Is it not true that for nineteen 
dreary centuries the history of the Jews has been one 
almost uninterrupted tragedy? Scattered throughout 
the world, scorned and hated of all nations, they have 
been forced to suffer every form of persecution which © 
men have been cruel and ingenious enough to invent. 
Words fail to depict their sufferings. To torture, rob 
and exile them, the despotism and hate of a hundred 
kings has been exhausted. They have been bought and 
sold as slaves. Many of the plagues that devastated 
Furope were ascribed to them with horrible results. 
In France, throughout whole provinces, every Jew was 
burned. In Germany, their history for centuries is a 
hideous chronicle of human cruelty. Even in England 
their persecution, sketched in outline by Sir Walter 
Scott in Ivanhoe, is nothing to the lurid picture he 
might have drawn. 

As for Spain, no land in the world has equalled it 
in wreaking cruel wrath on the unoffending Jew. 
Thousands upon thousands in that country were burned 
alive. Hebrews themselves consider their terrible ex- 
pulsion from Spain a misfortune equalled only by the 
destruction of their city and the ruin of their temple. 
We shudder at the brutal policy of Russia toward the 
Jew even to-day, but let us not forget that all other 
so-called Christian nations, with the exception of 
America, have acted in a similar way when they 
reached Russia’s present stage of civilization. In the 





THE QUEEN MOTHER 215 


thirteenth century all Jews were banished from Great 
Britain and their property was seized. In 1390 they 


were expelled from France. In 1492, the very year 





which witnessed the discovery of America by Colum- 
bus, they were cast forth from Spain, where they had 
lived protected by the Moors for six hundred years, to 
wander through the world as hated exiles, and fre- 
quently to perish by starvation or by the slower agony 
of the slave whip. If received at all in many Christian 
cities, they were hived in certain limited districts like 
the Ghetto at Rome. Moreover, by a refinement of 
torture, Jewish children under fourteen years of age 
were taken from their parents and retained in Spain 
and Portugal to be brought up as Gentiles, so that in 
their madness Hebrew mothers would sometimes mur- 
der their own offspring and then commit suicide. The 
Jews are hated to-day the world over and in many 
parts are not allowed to reside in certain communities. 
As they are to-day the Jewish people are without a 
land of their own, scattered throughout the nations 
of the earth, and hated and persecuted by all peoples. 
Not only have we the destruction, dispersion, pres- 
ervation and the persecution of Israel illustrated here, 
but we have their relief or supernatural help, set forth 
as well. “And the earth helped (or relieved) the 
Woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swal- 
lowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his 
mouth.” What we have here is quite a common sight 
in the East, in the freshet seasons. The rolling waters 
rush on in their open channels and then suddenly dis- 
appear into subterraneous passages, through which 
they rush into the open again somewhere on the other 
side. To the observer, the earth appears as though 
she had opened her mouth and swallowed up the floods. 


216 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


What does the earth signify here? There are differ- 
ences of opinion’ concerning this matter. Milligan 
thinks that the earth represents the “‘ nominal members 
of the Church.” He is forced to this opinion by tak- 
ing the position that the Woman in the vision repre- 
sents the “true Church,” the saved people on the field 
of history. I cannot understand how mere “ nominal 
Christians ” have ever “ helped ” true Christians. This 
Woman.does not represent the spiritual people of God, 
but the national people of God, the Hebrew Kingdom. 
There are those who think that the earth represents 
the Jews themselves, but if this be the true interpre- 
tation of this piece of symbolism, then, it would mean 
that the Jews “helped ” themselves, for the Woman 

s “helped” by the earth. It is true that in more 
senses than one in history, the Jewish people have 
helped themselves, but that is not the symbolic refer- 
ence here. ‘The earth is connected with the sea, and 
supplies the bed and the limits for the sea. The sea 
in its restlessness, barrenness, surging and storms, set 
before us the people or populace, unordered and unor- 
ganized, Jews, if you like, included. The earth is the 
selfsame people, or populace, Jews included, ordered, 
organized, civilized, consolidated and brought under 
legislative, governmental control. What is here pre- 
figured, has taken place over and over again.in the 
history of the Hebrew kingdom. The populace has 
risen up against the Jews, assaulted and persecuted 
them, and that sometimes even with governmental 
consent. ‘This persecution has been allowed to pro- 
ceed just so far, and then the government_has risen 
up, made protest and either relieved the Jews Ss from 
persecution or ended the persecutions completely. 
Thus, we see how God in His overruling providence 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 217 


has caused earthly powers to give help to His people 
against their enemy, the devil. There is danger now 
of open assault being made on the Jews in America, 
and should that assault ever take place, the American 
government would rise and end the open persecution 
forthwith. This is what is meant by the earth open- 
ing her mouth, swallowing up the floods and helping 
the Woman. In some parts of the earth even at this 
very moment, the Queen Mother, Israel, is being thus 
relieved by the providence of God. 

There is one thing more to notice before we con- 
clude the study of this remarkable vision. When the 
dragon saw that the Man-Child was caught up to the 
throne of God, and when he was made to realize that 
he was judicially cast out, and also when he saw that 
the Queen Mother was being supernaturally helped by 
the world powers, he became exceedingly wroth with 
the Woman, and went forth to make war with the 
remnant of her Seed (v. 17). Who is “the remnant 
of her Seed”? The word “remnant” or “the rest” 
is employed six times in this Book (2: 24; 9:20; 
rata aot 103212075). Che term literally 
means remaining ones—other, which remain, residue, 
rest. It is important to understand properly “ rem- 
nant ” or “ the rest’ here, for when we come to study 
chapter twenty we will find a use made of that term, 
which is much misunderstood and abused to-day. In 
every case where this word is used in the Revelation, 
it refers exclusively to the remaining number of a class 
previously mentioned, but not exhausted; “and,” 
says Milligan, “it cannot be extended to any class be- 
yond them.” By a careful contextual study of all the 
passages where this term is used we discover that it 
refers to the remaining portion of the group or class 


218 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


named or described before. “‘ The rest of her seed ” 
here, is a group of individuals, Jews and Gentiles, by 
race, regenerated and distinguished from “ her Seed,” 
the Man-Child, the Anointed of the Father, the indi- 
vidual Seed, as mentioned previously. Christ as the 
living Head in glory and His people on earth and in 
Heaven, of all time, make up the whole group, the 

‘one Body,” the Church. “The rest of her seed,” 
then, are the spiritual people of God, ‘not His N ational 
people, the Jews. 07 

This is plainly borne out by the two explanatory 
phrases that follow. Who are the remnant of her 
Seed? ‘They are those “ who keep the commandments 
of God.” ‘The commandments of God are not the Ten 
Commandments given through Moses. They only had 
respect to the externals of human life, and even then 
no human could “keep” them. The commandments 
here mentioned were the teachings of Jesus Christ and 
His Apostles, which had respect to the internals of 
human life. Where are these commandments found, 
and what are they? John, the writer of this Book, 
tells us (1 John 3: 28, 24), and says, “ And this is His 
commandment, That we should believe on the name of 
His Son Jesus Christ, and Jove one another, as He 
gave us commandment; and he that keepeth His com- 
mandments dwelleth in Him and He in him.” ‘The 
commandments of God, as mentioned in our passage, 
are the instructions that He has given to His people, 
to believe on Jesus Christ, and then, to love the 
brethren. Under Moses, the command was to love 
God with all the heart, all the soul, all the mind and 
all the strength. But man could not fulfill this order, 
because of his sin, weakness and limitation. What 
man could not do, Jesus Christ came and did com- 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 219 


pletely; and now, instead of man being invited to love 
God, as the Law of Moses demanded, man is asked 
to believe on Him, as his Saviour and Lord, the One 
who did love God as the Law of Moses demanded. 
Instead of man being asked by the Gospel to love God 
now, he is invited to allow God to love him. God does 
not ask man now to give Him his heart. But He 
does ask him to believe on Christ who gave Him His 
heart, and when this is done, love will flow out through 
the heart and life of man, not so much toward the 
“neighbour,” but toward the “brethren.” The com- 
mandments of God are believe, and then, love. 

Again, we ask who are the rest of her seed? They 
are those who “have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” 
They believe in the Name of Jesus Christ, love the 
brethren and issuing from that faith and love, they 
possess and enjoy the “testimony of Jesus.” The 
“testimony of Jesus ” is often mentioned in this Book 
eee ones te Coles 100d 7 2192/10) The word 
for “testimony” is maturta, and has the significance 
of record, report, witness, and evidence, judicially or 
generally taken. What is this evidence of Jesus? 
There are two verses that make the answer to this 
question plain (1 John 5: 10, 11), and though the word 
“witness ” is used in one verse, and the word “ rec- 
ord” is used in the other, in both cases we have our 
word “testimony,” maturia, or evidence. Let us read 
these verses, “ He that believeth on the Son of God, 
hath the witness (evidence) im himself.’ And the 
believer alone is the one who hath the witness or evi- 
dence within himself. Again I ask, what is this inner 
evidence? ‘The answer is, in the next verse, where 
John says, “ This is the record (evidence) that God 
hath given us eternal life and this life is in His Son.” 


Da naa 


ayant 


220 THE QUEEN MOTHER 


The new life which believers have is Christ Himself, 
by the Holy Spirit, dwelling within. The “ testimony 
of Jesus” ts Christ Himself indwelling the hearts of 
believers. ‘This is the evidence that John refers to (1 
John 8:14) when he says, “we know (experimen- 
tally) that we have passed from death into’life because 
we love the brethren,” The love that believers have 
for the brethren is not the cause, condition, or instru- 
ment of their passing from death into life, but the sign 
and evidence that they have passed from death into 
life, and hence, are no longer condemned by Divine 
Justice but declared righteous forevermore. 

The “rest of her Seed” are then the spiritual peo- 
ple of God, made up of all those who believe on Christ, 
and who love the brethren. “They are the ones with 
whom the devil is now exceedingly wroth, and against 


' whom he is carrying on his great war. Unable to 


destroy the Man-Child’and His “National Mother, 
Israel, Satan now directs his enmity against true Chris- 
tians, Jews and Gentiles, the elect and saved remnant: 
all others he leaves unmolested. From the very be- 
ginning of this Dispensation to the present the spir- 
itual people of God have suffered terribly at the hands 
of the old dragon. Through old Cesar he said, ‘“ We 
will soon root up this Christianity: off with their 
heads.” ‘The different governors hastened one after 
another of the disciples to death, but the more they 
persecuted them, the more they multiplied. The pro- 
consuls had orders to destroy Christians; the more 
they hunted them, the more Christians there were, 
until at last men pressed to the judgment seat and 
asked to be permitted to die for Christ. They in- 
vented torments, they dragged saints at the heels of 
wild horses, they laid them upon red-hot gridirons, 


THE QUEEN MOTHER 221 


they pulled off the skin from the flesh piece by piece, 
they were sawn asunder, they were wrapped up in 
skins of wild animals, daubed with pitch and set in 
Nero’s garden at night to burn; they were left to rot 
in dungeons, they were made a spectacle to all men 
in the amphitheatre, the bears hugged them to death, 
the lions tore them to pieces, the wild bulls tossed them 
upon their horns, and yet Christianity spread. The 
devil is a fool for carrying on this warfare against 
the spiritual people of God. He has been doing it now 
for two thousand years, and yet Christianity spreads 
and the number of the saved are multiplied. So long 
as one member of the Body of Christ remains out of 
Heaven on earth, just so long will the devil strike at 
that member. But let the people of God take courage. 


“In every condition, in sickness, in health, 
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth; 
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, 
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be. 


‘When thro’ fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, 
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; 
The flame shall not hurt thee ;—I only design 
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine. 


“ E’en down to old age, My people shall prove 
My sov’reign, eternal, unchangeable love; 
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn 
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne. 


“ The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, 
I will not, I will not desert to its foes; 
That soul, tho’ all hell should endeavour to shake, 
I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake!” 





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